From The Stars and The Underground

Chapters

Introduction Part 2: The Undying
1) A Taste of The Dark Side
2) I Don't Want Your SOUL I Swear
3) A New Friend and Old Allies
4) Canterlot Court
Log entry #1
5) Pureblooded
6) Punishment?
Log Entry #2
7) Bureaucracy and Celebrations
8) Reunited
9) Uncertain Future
10) Crossing Continents and Universes
11) A Prince Who Sleeps With Serpents
12) The Titan Arena (Part 1)
13) The Titan Arena (Part 2)
15) Pursuing The Past
16) The First Storm (Part 1)
17) The First Storm (Part 2)
18) Prized Fish
20) A Fish Dreaming of Pirates
21) Drama On A Boat
Introduction Part 1: The Sith
14) A Visitor (Crossover Chapter)
19) The Apprentice

Introduction Part 2: The Undying

"The wind is howling. It fills you with determination..."

Save point before Frisk's battle with Undyne, Undertale

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”

What I had thought was my gateway to my own personal heaven, was in fact an express trip down to my doom. I was skydiving to the ground below me and I could hardly keep my eyes open with the wind constantly beating into them. I flailed around with my hands desperately trying to find a parachute.

‘If this is all some elaborate prank, surely someone left me with a parachute right?’ I thought in a panic

When I couldn’t find a parachute, I decided it was time to go on full panic mode and start screaming. My screaming stopped when I realized the lack of wind hitting my body and opened my eyes fully to see a weird purple thing surrounding me. I turned my head around to see that it had completely surrounded me and I noticed that I could see through it. I looked towards the ground and gasped as I could now fully take in the sight below me. The color green engulfed my sight as I looked around, then when I looked closely I could see tiny settlements and large dominating mountains all around the landscape. I tried to find where I was likely to land and I found that my destination was a mountain with a rather soothing looking waterfall. However, the most interesting attraction was the familiar looking city that seemed to be attached to the mountain.

I didn’t get the time to fully inspect the city as the color purple dominated my vision and I couldn’t see a damn thing. I curled myself into a ball and squeezed my hands in anger as I knew what my fate was at the end of this fall.

‘Well, at least I saw quite a view in my final moments,’ I thought with a smile.

......

I opened my eyes to see light streaming through a hole in the roof. I groaned as I got to my feet and tried to get rid of the stiffness in my back by twisting it around and got a satisfying crack. I looked around to see that I was in a store of some kind. Or I should say that it was a clock shop as clocks, tables, and price tags were all over the place either broken or on fire.

‘Did I just survive that fall?’ I thought in confusion.

My confusion turned into joy as I raised my hands in the air and let the world know how happy I was.

“WHOOHOOOO,” I shouted.

A whimper from my left caught my attention and I turned my head to the source and my jaw dropped at what I saw.

A pony. A pony like from My Little Pony was cowering behind an upturned table and looked at me like I was death itself. The pony appeared to have a light green coat and its mane was raven black. The cutie mark on its butt looked like a watch wrapped around a grandfather clock. The poor thing’s large frightened eyes had irises that were light green as well, and I was at a loss as what to do next.

I decided that I would satisfy my curiosity and ask it a question to see if it was real or if that fall knocked me into insanity.

“Are you real?” I paused, “Are you a pony?”

The pony seemed to only get even more scared as its eyes darted around and then bolted through a broken door before I could even react.

“WAIT,” I yelled and followed the pony through the broken door with my costume clanking every step of the way. “I need help, where ammmmm huh...” I trailed off as my eyes took in my surroundings.

All around me were bright blue, purple, and white buildings that seemed to go on forever. More ponies of all types were surrounding me and gazing at me with fear. Nearly all of them came up to my belly button in height and they were wearing either fancy dresses or cute little suits that made them all look even more adorable. I heard hooves clopping down the road to my right and I saw royal guards coming towards the crowd at alarming speeds. When they reached the crowd they stopped to gawk at me like the rest of the crowd until the green pony from the shop cried out to them.

“GUARDS! That creature destroyed my shop!” The mare screamed.

‘Huh, the pony was a mare, don’t know why I didn’t recognize that earlier,’ I thought curiously.

The guard ponies snapped into action and started to herd the crowd away from me before I could respond. One of the unicorn guard stallions moved in front of me a few meters away then pointed a hoof and yelled at me in a commanding voice.

“Creature, in the name of Canterlot and its citizens. You are under arrest for the destruction of private property. Stand down and allow yourself to be taken into custody, then you will be sent to the castle dungeon to face the judgment of the Princesses.”

I stared dumbfounded at the stallion and my mind began to kick into gear at what he just said. It only took me a few moments to come to the sanest and most logical course of action available to me.

“Uhh, no,” I then sprinted and knocked over a couple of ponies from the crowd and made a rather impressive leap over the guard ponies standing in my way. My costume clanked even louder as I continued to run past the many buildings.

“After it! Or… her or… whatever!” Said the flustered unicorn stallion.

I snickered at how the pony couldn’t even tell my gender before he heard my voice. I continued to run through the streets of the city and more ponies in fancy outfits continued to scream and run out of my way. Each street I came across only seemed to bring more attention to myself. I needed a plan to get out of this city and ditch the guards. With all the noise I’m making, I don’t think I’ll be able to hide from them.

‘Come on, think, think, think, the guard said this is Canterlot right? So isn’t there a train around here that comes and goes from the mountain? Ok, first hijack a train and... ‘politely’... tell the train driver to get me the hell out of here. This plan is foolproof.’ I thought with my mind set on a goal.

Unfortunately, the first crack in my plan became apparent as I turned around another corner and I realized I had no idea where I was going. I let out a howl of frustration and moved my head left to right in search of signs to direct me to the train station. Instead, I only found more ponies screaming in terror as I continued my rampage of howling and running. I saw more guards ahead of me and I stopped in my tracks as they walled off my path.

“Cease this pointless running and come quietly creature,” one of the guards ordered.

I turned around to run the other way but was blocked by an even larger group filled with the same guards surrounding the shop earlier.

“There’s nowhere to go,” the unicorn guard from before yelled.

I turned back to the group blocking my path and grinned as an idea came to mind. I sprinted towards one of the unicorn guards and he looked at me in utter surprise at my sudden charge. His horn began to glow but I caught him and brought him up into a bear hug with his back to me and his forehooves squeezed tightly between his torso and my armored arms. He struggled feebly in my grasp and I was surprised at how light he was. I quickly shook off my surprise and ducked down as I shoulder charged through one of the surrounding building doors.

I apparently had rushed into a barber shop as ponies sitting in parlor chairs had other ponies standing behind them on their hind hooves and holding scissors between their hooves. All ponies turned and screamed at my sudden intrusion and I ignored them to close the door behind me with my foot. I noticed a window looking out to the street where I came from and yelled at one of the barber ponies to open the windows.

“HEY YOU, open that window right now!” The pony paused in confusion but I encouraged her to get moving.

“NOW”

She blinked and her ears bent backward in fear and quickly moved to carry out my orders. She meekly squeaked out “Yes ma’am,” and proceeded to open the window then quickly ran back to the other ponies in the shop.

I brought the still squirming guard up to the window in my arms and I squeezed him a little to get him to stop. He grunted but ceased his struggles as he realized he wasn’t going to break free. I looked out to guards in the street and they were giving me hard glares for kidnapping one of their own. I yelled out at the guards to give my demands.

“Alright you little bastards, here are my demands. If you don’t comply with them, I’ll snuggle this little cutie so hard that he won’t be able to receive hugs for weeks.” The guard in my arms blushed a little when I looked down at his face and he squirmed a little uncomfortably at my threat. I started to list off my demands.

“Number 1, I want a big jug of water, I’m thirsty and I think my dehydration is making me kind of crazy right now. Number 2, I want an escort to the nearest train sta…, what are you doing?” The horn on the pony I was holding began to glow green and before I could react, I was holding nothing but air as the pony flashed away from my arms.

I returned my gaze to the grinning guards out on the streets and my heart began to sink.

“Oh…, right, I forgot about that,” I said dumbly and turned around to see if there was a backdoor out of the shop.

Luckily there was, and the ponies in the barber screamed again as I rushed past them to get to the door. When I got through I found myself in a back alley leading towards another street and started sprinting towards it. Shadows on the ground caught my attention and I looked to the sky to find pegasi guards flying over the alley and beating me to the end of the alley. They blocked my path and looked more than determined to not see me pass.

I heard hooves clopping behind me to signify that more guards had followed me from the barber shop and they blocked off the only exit I had left. I gave off a deep growl and smashed my fist into the wall in frustration. I didn’t expect, however, for my fist to go straight through it.

“What the...” I said in surprise as I looked at the damage I caused to solid brick.

I pulled my fist out of the wall and flexed my fingers to check if my hand was alright. When I didn’t feel any pain at all, I checked my gauntlet to see how badly I damaged it and found that it too suffered little to no damage. I looked around to see that the guards were now a little hesitant to approach me.

“Yeah that's right you little runts, any of you get close to me and you’re going to get one hell of a haymaker,” I said taking advantage of their newfound fear of me.

However, the unicorn guard from the beginning of this chase seemed to have other plans. I felt something keep me in place and my eyes roamed around to see a blue energy field surrounding me.

“Oh come on, this isn’t fair!” I said through my teeth to the unicorn.

The unicorn guard called to one of his subordinates and ignored my complaint, “Private, take your cuffs and restrain her arms and legs while I keep a hold of her.”

The private was an earth pony, and he took out some small cuffs that started to glow when he pushed a button and they easily resized to the width of my wrists. He stared at me with caution as he slowly moved towards me. As soon as he got behind me, he put my wrists behind my back and I began to seethe when I felt them tighten around my wrists.

‘No, I’m not going to prison for something I had no choice in doing. It was not my fault for falling into that clock pony’s shop. These ponies have got to believe me,’ I thought as I tried to plead my case.

“WAIT, please listen to me, I-I-I didn’t mean to crash land into that pony’s shop. I swear on Princess Celestia’s sun that I had no control over what happened. I know I ran, but I got scared okay. Please believe me!” I begged.

The unicorn guard holding me still looked at me with sympathy but his words filled me with dread. “Sorry ma’am, but we can’t do that. Like I said though, the princesses’ themselves will preside over your case. I’m confident that they will be fair.”

His words didn’t fill me with any confidence and I slowly started to get really angry. I heard the guard pony guard behind me starting to prepare the other set of cuffs and my anger reached the boiling point.

‘I REFUSE TO BE PUNISHED FOR A CRIME I DIDN’T COMMIT!’ My thoughts raged.

I pulled on the cuffs with all of my might and I felt them snap apart along with the energy barrier holding me when I brought my arms forward with closed fists. I roared at the top of my lungs and I felt some sort of energy leave my body in every direction.

Blue spears jutted thru the floor and walls all across the alley and hit each and every one of the guards. They all yelped and grunted in pain from the sudden attack and fell to the ground in a daze. Some tried to fight through the pain and get back up, but they quickly fell back onto the ground again. I gazed around in my anger-induced haze and quickly lost all that anger at what I saw. Hearts floated above each and every one the guards' chests in varying colors.

Fear began to grip my chest as I remembered what those hearts meant. I noticed that my path was open again and I decided that it was best to flee once more. The princesses may have gone light on me before, but after doing this, I’ll certainly rot in a cell. I leaped over the bodies of the groaning guards and into the street at the end of the alley. The street was empty, but I looked into the windows of the buildings to see ponies watching me with terror in their eyes as they witnessed what I just did to their protectors. The guilt nearly crushed my heart.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered in apology for what I’d just done. I clenched my fists in anger for the fact that I had to commit to my course of action or I stand to risk my freedom for possibly decades to come. My head snapped left to right and I found a directions post at the end of the street to my right. I hurried over to the post and my eyes searched for any sign of directions to a train station. The post was huge and my foot started to clank up and down on the sidewalk in irritation. Finally, I found the direction I’m supposed to go for the train station and I ran back down the street I came from and passed the alley with the knocked out guards.

The good news was that all the guards seemed to be getting back up and the hearts over their chests had disappeared. The bad news was that they still wanted to nail my ass to a prison cell. One of the pegasi guards that got back up weakly pointed her hoof at me and ordered me to stop. I ignored her and kept on moving until I got to the end of the street and took the street down my right like the direction post said.

The street I was heading down was a long one but I kept on running as fast as my feet could take me. Those guards in the alley surely weren’t all that the city had and more were definitely on the way. As I kept on running, my throat started to get really scratchy.

I wasn’t exaggerating when I said to the guards that I wanted a jug of water. I felt like my body was dehydrating and I was already beginning to get kind of dizzy. The hot sun also didn’t make it any easier when I felt my costume absorb the heat and radiate it into my body. I felt sweat streak down all over my body and I didn’t know how long I could take the heat. Nevertheless, I was determined not to get caught and pushed past my dizziness and discomfort to the end of another street to find a sign.

I found the directions to the train station even faster than last time and I began to take off until I heard more hooves galloping towards me. I risked a quick peek behind me and saw what looked like a stampede of royal guards. Pegasi guards were flying above them and they were far ahead of their brothers and sisters in arms.

I pushed my legs to the very limit and hoped I was getting close to that train. A few streets later, I saw a shadow appear below me that began to become more defined. Instinct took over and I veered sharply to my right and saw in the corner of my eye a pegasus guard hit the ground in an attempt to tackle me. However, another pegasus got luckier than his comrade and I felt him hit me with his hooves curled around my waist. I nearly lost my balance but I kept on running and reached around with my left hand to grab him by his wing. He inhaled sharply at my harsh grasp and his grip loosened around my waist. I tossed him onto the street and kept on running but when I looked back I saw that the stampede was gaining up on me fast.

I returned my gaze up ahead and I kept telling myself to just keep running, but my body kept screaming at me to get some water. I wasn’t sweating anymore and I knew that my situation was getting dire. I ignored it all though and kept telling myself to keep on running and my reward will be water when I hijack that train.

Finally, I saw a train station when I turned around the next corner, but a new problem made itself apparent. More guards were there in a line blocking my path and this time they had spears pointed in my direction ready to gore me if I kept running towards them. I began to panic and slow down but a possible solution made itself apparent when I saw an unattended vendor cart on one side of the street. I decided that now was the time to test out how strong I really was now and moved to grab the cart. I got my hands underneath the cart and I was thankfully still strong enough to lift it up.

The guards blocking my path started off confused by my actions but then scrambled to the side when they saw the cart flying right towards them. I bolted for the opening they left and the guards hurried to block off my path again. I leaped over the guards when they failed to get their spears up in time and I hit the ground with shaking legs, but I continued moving towards the train station. My legs kept wobbling and I nearly lost my balance three times.

‘Come on! You're almost there keep going damn it!’ I told my body as the station got closer.

Unfortunately, my legs had spent the last of their energy and I smacked my head onto the street as I collapsed. Despite my daze, I ordered my arms to begin crawling me towards the train but my crawl was short lived when I felt pairs of hooves hold me down.

I failed to get away, and now I felt cuffs tighten around my boots and gauntlets to keep me restrained. I knew I was beaten, but I still felt proud knowing that I had given it my all. Blurry images moved in front of me and started speaking but I could hardly hear what the images were saying. The only thing I can do now was warn them that I needed water before I died of dehydration.

I started coughing at first because of my dry throat but I managed to get the words out in a croaky voice. “Water, please…. I need water now.”

Consciousness began to leave me and I couldn’t tell if they heard me when everything blacked out.

......

A raging headache and burning muscles were all I could feel when I started to wake up. I grunted from the pain and tried to lift my arm to my head to rub my temple. As soon as I lifted my arm I winced at the sharp pain and gave up on the simple action. Sighing internally, I tried to ignore the pain and focus on where I was.

The first thing I noticed was that I was definitely lying on a comfy bed with thin silky sheets covering me up to my waist. I opened my eyes to a shady cement ceiling and let my eyes roam around to see that I was in a prison cell. The only light sources came from a torch beyond the prison bars and pale moonlight streaked in through a barred window. My ears heard a very faint ringing coming from the foot of the bed and I weakly tried to see what the source was. I briefly saw a blue-maned and red-coated unicorn stallion with his horn glowing before my head fell back onto a pillow. I groaned loudly as my headache seemed to get worse.

The unicorn murmured in surprise and I heard him moving to the side of my bed to look at me critically. He cleared his throat as he began to speak.

“So, it would seem that you have awakened. Thank Celestia you pulled through, I’m used to working on other species but I’ve actually been able to at least study them extensively first before working on them. Luckily, the treatment for heatstroke is almost universal for most species. However, your body even made that more difficult with all the scales impeding my attempts to find a vein for an IV. The gills on your neck proved to be the answer though, and we were able to find a way to get fluids into your system safely without taking risks. Now that you’re awake, you can finally start taking your fluids naturally, but we’ll have to take it slow…”

“Wait, wait, hold on a minute,” I interrupted with a croaky voice.

‘Did he just say gills and scales? What the fuck… Wait! That light! My newfound strength! Those spears…’ I thought with fear gripping my mind.

“Get me a mirror! Please!” I begged him with strength returning to my voice as I looked him in the eye.

His expression turned from surprise to concern as he spoke. “Please do not stress yourself, your body may not be able to take much more stress. Hold on I’ll find you something.”

I rested my head to return to looking at the ceiling as I heard the unicorn shifting around. I heard something slide off and hit what sounded like a metal table. The unicorn came back with what looked like an aluminum tray.

“I’m sorry it’s not perfect, but it’s the only thing I could find without leaving you alone,” he said apologetically.

He floated the slightly reflective aluminum tray to my head and I saw a face that caught me by surprise. Large razor-sharp teeth lined my mouth and bright blue scales covered my face. Fins replaced the spots where my ears were supposed to be and long locks of messy red hair laid on my pillow as I looked up into the tray.

‘Yep, this confirms it, that stupid light turned me into a real-life version of Undyne. It wasn’t enough to throw me out of the sky and split me apart from all of my loved ones. It had to take away my very own body as well. Damn it all… why is this happening to me?’ I clenched my fists despite the strain and gritted my teeth to express my anger.

The doctor looked at me with guilt now starting to cross his features. “Now you’re getting even more stressed! Please tell me what I can do to calm you down. You’re not going to get any better if you keep stressing your body like this,” He said with worry.

I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. I looked back at the mirror while trying to find a bright side to this situation.

‘Well at least I got turned into the most badass fish lady in the universe,’ I thought thankfully.

I turned my head slightly to look at the unicorn as I spoke to him. “Thanks, I’m okay now, I just need to confirm one more thing. Can you lift up my eyepatch? I need to check something.”

He looked at me strangely but he complied with my request. I felt the string slide off my head and I lifted open my eyelid to see I’m forever a cyclops now too. When I looked into the makeshift mirror again, I just saw a bright blue glow emitting from my eye socket.

The unicorn gasped and I looked back at him with my good eye to see he was gaping at me with awe. He moved his mouth to form words but they seemed to be escaping him for a moment until finally, he spoke clearly. “Our scanning spells told us how your body was almost entirely made up of magic and to see it emit itself like that is truly fascinating."

He kept on staring at my glowing eye socket and I started to get a little creeped out.

“Uh, dude? You can put the eye patch back on,” I told him

He snapped out of his stare and looked embarrassed for his ill manners. He apologized quickly and placed the eye patch back on my eyesoket. I then told him to take away the tray because I figured I was done admiring my new face. When he returned from placing the tray back to where it originally belonged I figured it was time to bite the bullet and ask what’s going to happen to me.

“So, um, doctor...?”

His eye’s bulged as he forgot to state his name

“Oh, dreadfully sorry, my name is Dr. Steady Hoof. The Royal Physician stationed here at the castle.

“Pleased to meet you doc, my name is… (Ah hell, just embrace the insanity) Undyne. Well, just lay it on me then, how bad was the damage and what’s going to happen to me afterward,” I asked.

His face became serious and he began to list off my injuries. “Well first off, your only condition is that you suffered from a case of severe heat stroke. Right now you are probably experiencing a headache and extreme muscle pain from the lack of water in your system. Which by the way you need more of, and before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I would like to continue administering water to you in small doses. Which method do you prefer, water through your gills or water through oral intake?”

“Uh, with my mouth please,” I said.

He lifted a glass of water with a small straw sticking out and I began to drink the liquid of life. My throat began to feel much better but the relief lasted for a brief moment. Steady Hoof took away the glass before I began to drink too much and set it off to the side. When he set the glass down, he returned to answering my questions.

“Now, Princess Celestia has taken my advice and has decided to delay your trial until I have decided that you are healthy of both mind and body. However, since your species is new to Equestria, it’ll be difficult to determine how healthy your body should be. We’ll have to rely on your word to determine if you’re fully healed or not. Equestrian medicine and healing magic just simply have no idea what to expect from a lifeform that embodies so much magic.”

He paused for a second and seemed to be considering something in his head before speaking once more. “The only form of life that I can compare you to are the star beasts, yet you are clearly not related to them. So what kind of…”

‘Star beasts? What the heck is he talking about... Wait… Stars… Oh! I get it now.’

I interrupted him mid-sentence to ask a question. “When you say star beasts, do you mean like an Ursa major?”

“Why yes indeed, have your kind come into contact with Ursa majors as well?” He asked.

I hesitated before speaking and decided that I shouldn’t mention that his world is a cartoon show from my world or he’ll probably add insanity to my list of conditions.

‘In fact, I should keep everything I know about this world to myself until I fully grasp my situation. For all I know the events of the show and future seasons have already happened or this is all some mass illusion conjured by my head in a huge coma.’

The good doctor was still waiting for me to answer his question and I decided to be vague.

“My kind has had contact with star beasts before, just not in a way I think you’ll understand. I know that’s elusive but I think you could only truly understand if you have been where I come from.

“That’s okay, I think I’m more interested in what kind of creatures you and your kind are. Is it possible for you to explain your physiology at least?” He asked hopefully.

“Sure that’s fine, okay where to start? Ummm… I started to trail off but Dr. Hoof waited patiently for me to get my thoughts together and brought out a notepad from behind him.

‘Come on girl, time to delve into your knowledge of Undertale lore’

I formed the explanation in my head and started my brief summary. “You were right when you said that I’m mostly made of magic, my kind are called monsters by bipedal creatures called humans from where I’m from. But we’re not monsters in the sense that we’re all evil, it’s just a title we’ve come call ourselves because we come in numerous shapes and sizes that it’s nearly impossible to come to an accord for a species name. For instance, there are monsters that are skeletal in nature, some are like ghosts, and boss monsters look like goats. But one thing relates to all monsters though, our bodies are mostly made of magic and are attuned to its SOUL. When a monster dies, its body turns into dust. Because monsters' bodies and SOULs are closely linked, when a monster dies, their SOUL is lost forever. Boss Monsters are an exception, as they are nearly immune to age but when they are killed their SOUL is visible before being shattered.”

I sighed as I finished my long-winded explanation and beckoned the good doctor to give me some more water. When the glass floated closer I decided to see how much strength I was getting back in my arms and reached for it. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel any pain and my arm lifted the glass easily when Dr. Hoof canceled his levitation. He looked just as shocked as I was, and when I sipped the rest of the water the headache I was feeling before began to disappear entirely. I shifted my body around and started to get up and felt only a slight weakness in my legs when I stood at my full height. I then noticed, when I got a chance to look at my body, that all my armor and clothes were gone and all I had on was a large hospital gown that thankfully covered just enough of my new scaly body to avoid embarrassment.

‘Thank god for the gown and I probably shouldn’t be surprised by my recovery, Undyne got right back up after getting a small glass of water from Frisk.’

The good doctor was stuttering at my amazing recovery. “How in the world are you recovering so fast? Wow, your physiology is more miraculous than I thought, but I would appreciate it if you got back into bed, no need to take any risks right?”

I agreed with his advice and laid back down, Dr. Hoof took some more notes before he looked out the barred window and closed the notebook. He stared at me for a couple moments in thought before he spoke to me again.

“It’s getting late and I’d like you to get a good nights’ rest before we see if you’re truly healthy enough. We can’t just judge you as fully recovered because of your sudden recovery of muscle strength, so we’ll give you a physical tomorrow to tell if you’re truly healthy enough or not. I’ll leave you with a jug of water if you feel thirsty again, but before I leave you to sleep do you mind telling me what you would like for breakfast tomorrow. I assume because of your sharp teeth that you’re a carnivore. If that’s so, I must regret to inform you that the only meat products allowed for consumption are fish here in Equestria,” He said looking at me worryingly.

“Actually fish is fine, also I should tell you that I’m omnivorous. If it’s not too much to ask, can I have salmon with a side of oranges for breakfast? It’s a weird combination I know, but those are my favorite types of fruits and fish. Also, just get me some more water for the drink, I don’t think I’ll switch off of water for a week because of all this. And… just one more question?” I asked with hesitation.

He nodded his head and motioned me to continue.

“Why are you working so hard to take care of me? I hurt your guards and rampaged throughout your city, shouldn’t I at least be chained up to the bed in case if I tried to hurt you?” I asked curiously.

He smiled and pointed his hoof at the ceiling as his horn started to glow. Runes of some kind appeared all across the ceiling in a soft blue glow and disappeared as soon his horn’s glow turned off.

“Those glyphs prevent prisoners from using magic while within the cells’ borders. They also enact an invisible barrier around visitors in case a prisoner should try to harm them physically. To answer your question about all the care you’re being given, it’s because your situation is very unique and I agree with how Princess Celestia is handling it. You’re a new species to Equestria and her highness would like to avoid a possible international incident with your kind by treating you gently while in our care."

His eyes then looked at me warmly with sympathy as he continued his explanation.

“Also, you should know that all those guards you harmed will make a complete recovery. The spears you summoned didn’t pierce their skin but it did lead to some major bruising. The bruises will heal but the only wounds they should be nursing in the future will be their injured pride at being taken unawares so easily. Overall, after reviewing the guard report about it all, I’d say that your rampage was just a series of events constantly spiraling out of control due to fear and a lack of understanding between both parties. But, I’ll leave the judgment of your crimes to Princess Celestia, so just get some rest and focus on getting better. That’s the start at the beginning to fix this mess and please don’t worry so much. I know the Princess to be a kind and generous soul, whatever punishment she decides upon, I’m sure it’ll fair. Now get some rest miss Undyne.”

Dr. Hoof’s horn began to glow again and in a flash of light a big jug of water appeared at his side and he began to fill the glass of water again. He put the jug on the table beside my bed and began to walk towards the cell door. He knocked on the bars and a guard came up to the door to unlock it. As soon as he was out the door he took one last look at me and waved. I waved back and as soon as he was gone and I began to really think about all that was going on.

‘What the hell, what the hell, what the hell, what the hell, what the hell! Why is this happening! This shouldn’t be happening! But it just happened. I had a civil conversation with a freaking pony doctor. That fucking vendor at the con must have done this. “Enjoy your purchases you two,” yeah right, I didn’t buy a meteor express trip to a TV show. Is he even the cause of all of this? None of this makes any sense. Jack and I were just walking away from him before I blacked out and I was falling into a dark void of nothing. Wait… did Jack get sucked into this place too?’

The doc didn’t say anything about another creature so maybe Jack is still at the con searching for me frantically. Or maybe this really is all some weird dream. No that can’t be it, all this pain I’ve felt, all this drama, all this… weirdness, it can’t be some dream. I felt my hand punch through a wall, I felt that guard when I grabbed him, and I felt that energy when those spears appeared. Whatever this is, it’s real and I just have to deal with it or go insane. Maybe Celestia can get me some answers, and if she does, will I like what she has to say?'

I decided that it didn’t matter, the doc was right, it’s late and I’m tired from all of this stress. Sleep is what I need and I’ll need it for tomorrow.

1) A Taste of The Dark Side

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2) I Don't Want Your SOUL I Swear

‘So… am I a piranha lady or shark lady? Also how the hell am I hearing things right now if my ears were replaced by fins? Whatever, I’ve got monstrous strength and I can live out my dream of being a red head,’ I mused as I checked out my new body. Undyne was no couch potato if these rock hard abs were anything to go by. My old body was already a gymnasts’ body, but I felt like I could jump a building with these legs and throw a shotput ball across a football field with these guns.

My body felt as healthy like a horse and I couldn’t wait for breakfast to come around. The doc better get here soon before I got too stir crazy, the only thing I’ve been able to do in this stupid cell was admire my new body and see how many push ups I could do. My count was at 324 and I was hardly feeling fatigued at all. I wondered where all this stamina was when I needed it most yesterday, but I guessed that all that soda and salty food from the con may have transferred over into my new body. I felt like cutting loose and ignored my diet because I couldn’t stand the sight of Jack taking all the good junk food for himself. He just kept taunting me with that big pretzel and wouldn’t stop telling me how good it was.

‘Now that I think about my little bro, I need to get out of here and make sure of whether he’s here or not. If he’s in pony world with me, I hope he’s being a good little boy scout isn’t terrorizing the locals. Like me, he’s probably went through an identity crisis too if that vendor turned him into a Sith Lord,’ I thought worried.

I was on push up 371 when I finally heard hooves coming from outside my cell. It was the good doctor and he carried a silver tray with his magic that held bright and colorful oranges along with some tasty looking salmon. Another pitcher of water was in his magical grasp to replace the one from last night.

One of the guards came up behind him with keys in his mouth and opened the door for him. As soon as the door was locked behind the doctor, the guard moved off to the side and out of view but was likely still outside the cell in case anything happened. Dr. Steady Hoof laid my breakfast onto a metal table that was too tall for him but was just right for me. He smiled warmly at me and looked happy for seeing me doing such rigorous exercise so early in the morning.

“I see that your recovery is coming along even faster after last night. Did you get a good nights’ sleep Miss Undyne?” Dr. Hoof asked me.

I responded by first showing off how many push ups I’d done so far. “372, 373, 374, yeah doc I think I’m coming along just fine. Is that breakfast for me? You gentlecolt, bringing a lady her breakfast. Hold on, just let me finish 6 more.”

When I reached 380 I got up and rubbed my hands on my patients’ gown to try and get the dust and grime off them from the floor. When I felt that my hands were good enough, I pulled out a chair underneath the table and got ready to dig in until I remembered my manners.

“Hey doc, have you had breakfast yet, I’m willing to share?” I asked him.

“Oh that’s quite alright, I had some cereal before coming in today. Anyway, I’ve prepared a physical for you this morning after you finish your breakfast. Although like I said, since your physiology is mostly a mystery to me we’ll have to take your word on whether you’re in top shape or not” He said as he prepared his notebook.

While I used my fingers to eat, I finally tried to get a look at Dr. Hoof’s butt tattoo and found that it was a scalpel and pair of scissors crossed over one another with black string interwoven between them. I took it to mean that he specialized as a surgeon and I drank some water right out of the jug. While I finished my meal, the doc kept glancing up at me and back to his notebook writing down who knows what on it. He seemed so focused on his writing that I felt like an opportunity was at hand.

As soon as I finished my meal I let out a loud burp that broke his concentration and I laughed at his flustered look.

“Oh sorry doc, the food was just that good, anyway, what are you writing there?” I asked as I took another drink from my water jug.

He smiled again and wrote a few more words before responding. “I’m writing down anything I can to be honest. I’m writing down how you eat your food and how your fingers are moving just as deftly as a minotaurs'. Basically anything that we couldn’t learn from you while you were unconscious. You’ve just taken the scientific community by storm with just your body alone. A sentient creature made up of so much magic and isn’t a star beast will likely immortalize you in our history books years to come.”

He seemed ready to nerd out about how awesome my new body was and it kind of reminded me of my little bro. Jack would talk for nearly an hour about how cool something like hydrofluoric acid was, or how if humans could master gravity we could master the galaxy. I interrupted him before he could go on.

“Yeah I already know I’m awesome, but could we please get this physical taken care of so I can see how long I’m going to be stuck in this cell?"

His face got serious and he nodded in agreement. He flipped through his notebook with his magic until he got to a certain page and beckoned me to stand up. He asked me some standard questions about how certain parts of my body felt. He shinned a light into my eyes with his horn to test how my eyes responded to light, then asked me to breathe in and out as he placed his stethoscope on my back and chest. It continued on just like any other physical I got from home until he started to ask me questions about what I ate and how much I needed every day. He looked a little nauseous when I told him that my favorite food was a big juicy steak, but I assured him that I wasn’t going to lose my mind about not having my favorite food again. I really only ate one steak every couple of months back home and I think sea food would be good enough for my protein needs while I was in Equestria. The whole morning was taken up by all his questions and by the time we were done he had filled up more than half his notebook.

“Well, to the best of my ability, I can say you are healthy of both mind and body and are ready to meet with Princess Celestia. As soon as I leave, I’ll send for her and she’ll come down to meet you,” he said as he got ready to leave.

‘Wait a minute.'

“I thought I was going to meet Celestia at my trial. She coming to see me right now!?” I asked worried.

He made that warm smile again and tried to soothe my fears. “Yes, Princess Celestia is coming down to meet with you personally before the trial starts. Please don’t worry, I think her highness just wants to meet with you first before the prosecution tries to tear you apart. No defense law office will try and take your case because of all of Canterlot being afraid of you. I’m sure the Princess just wants your side of the story before a whole courtroom stresses you out, and please trust me when I say this. You are going to be alright.”

His words inspired a little confidence in me but I thought I had more time to prepare myself before I met Celestia. ‘All I have on is a now dirty hospital gown and I’m about to meet Celestia herself. Now I’ve just learned that no one is going to help defend me in my trial too.’ I wanted to believe in Dr. Hoof but this is starting to sound more and more hopeless. But I have to be confident now, I need to get out of here so I can find my brother.

“Ok doc, but before you go, can you at least get me my clothes first? I had some on underneath my armor before I came here and I don’t want to meet Celestia with just a gown on.” I asked.

He looked at me strangely before he spoke again. “Of course, but you should know that you don’t need any clothes on at all before you meet with Celestia. Many ponies meet with Celestia all the time without dressing for the occasion.”

I felt heat rise up to my cheeks thinking about meeting Celestia as naked as the day I was born. I shook my head to get rid of the embarrassing thoughts and realized that it made sense for ponies to not always wear clothes. Their anatomy covered anything too private and the TV show only showed ponies wearing clothes to special events (‘well except for Rarity and pony nobles now that I think about’). Humans wore clothes to survive in colder environments and it basically became a norm to always wear clothes wherever you go. But he doesn’t know that, so I won’t slap him for suggesting that I could meet the Princess naked.

I gave a forced grin and thanked him. “It’s just a culture thing to always have clothes on when I meet with other people in public. I really do appreciate this though, so thanks for taking the time to do this.”

He nodded his head and saw himself out of my cell with the breakfast tray. We both waved goodbye to each other and I sat back down on my bed to try and figure out what to do when Celestia came.

‘I need to get my story straight when I meet her, I need to tell her that I had no control over what happened to that clock shop. But, when I tell her about why I ran from her guards, I’m going to have to omit some of the facts. When the guards tried to arrest me, I shouldn't tell her that I really didn’t take them seriously at first. I was startled when they told me that I was under arrest, but I thought that this was all some sort weird dream. I didn’t realize how dire my situation was until they cornered me in the alley. So when I tell her why I ran, I just tell her that I was startled and my instincts told me to run and avoid a fight. But what do I tell her when I get to the part about how I attacked her guards and held one hostage?’ I started fall back into my nervous habit of twirling my hair between my fingers when I wasn’t coming up with anything.

A few minutes passed and I was startled when I saw a bright flash go off on the metal table. Neatly folded clothes along with a pair of boots sat on the table and I was immediately grateful for not having to wear this stupid gown anymore. The clothes consisted of my undergarments and a simple black tank top with blue jeans. The dark brown leather boots seemed to be the boots from my armor set with the metal plating taken off.

‘I’m going to need that armor when I go off to search for my brother. This place may be peaceful, but the series constantly showed that there were dangers out there I’d need to prepare for,’ I mused as I got dressed.

As soon as I was presentable, I looked over myself and threw the gown over to the corner. ‘It may not be clothes appropriate to meeting royalty but it’ll have to do,’ I thought.

‘Ah hell, I still have no idea what to tell her when I get to the part about how I beat the crap out of her police force. Jack would know what to tell her, he was always a better negotiator and liar. He could get the strictest teacher to sympathize with him and push back a test to a further date if he needed more time to study. What do I tell her?’ I thought just as I heard hooves clopping outside.

My heart was threating to burst out of my chest as I heard the hooves coming closer. A mix of emotions crossed my mind, joy at having the chance to meet a real life character from a TV show I liked, and dread as I realized that my freedom was at stake. The sound of her hooves came closer and I held my breath as I saw the stunning creature come into view. Seeing her in person was completely different from seeing her on a screen. She was beautiful and the little girl that’s a part of my soul was having the time of her life. She seemed to be pondering something until she looked at me through the bars and smiled. My previous feelings of dread were gone immediately and I felt safe and encouraged by that smile alone. Princess Celestia was truly a sight to behold.

Her horn glowed a golden aura and the cell door swung open. Apparently she’s her own master key and doesn’t need a guard to open it for her. She came in and closed the door behind as she sat down on the floor. I panicked as I realized she shouldn’t be sitting on the floor and quickly tried to make my only furniture more presentable to her.

“Wait, wait, please your highness, let me fix the bed for you and you can sit on it. I’m so sorry, please I insist…uh… would you like some water? I still have some from breakfast, or would you umm…uh…,” I trailed off trying to figure out what to say.

She waved her hoof and beckoned me to calm down as she spoke. “It’s quite alright my dear. Please, sit down and collect yourself, there’s no need to get so worked up.”

She continued to smile as I sat down and took a few deep breaths. When I was able to get my heart under control I smiled right back at her to show her I was calm now.

“Let’s start with introductions, my name is Celestia, Princess to the ponies of Equestria and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She said in the same voice I remembered from the show.

“My name is Katy, but right now I guess my name could also be Undyne too. You can call me either if you wish,” I said as she looked at me curiously.

“You have two names? Would you explain why for me, I find it very fascinating?” she asked as she picked herself up and sat closer to me next to the bed.

I tried to resist the urge to reach out and feel what her flowing mane felt like. Her mane was a constant mystery in my mind and I buried it down to try and figure out what to tell her.

“It’s a long story, do we have enough time? I asked

“We do, I’ve arranged my whole afternoon to be cleared up, so don’t worry, we have plenty of time.”

I told her about how I was originally a human from a different world. I thought she would have looked at me like I was crazy but she still looked at me with genuine curiosity and beckoned me to continue. I told her how I and my brother went to a convention and how I ended up in that black void after we left a vendor stall. I explained how a weird blinding light covered me and changed me and my costume. I then told her of how I fell out of the void and came crashing into Equestria.

“Then that purple shroud covered me as I fell and then I ended up in that clock shop. You probably know the rest.” I said as I finished my tale and looked down at my knees in shame.

Celestia laid her hoof on my hand and I looked at her to see her smile gone and sympathy in her eyes.

“You poor dear, to be torn from your life like that. I’m truly sorry, it must have been so frightening to find yourself in such an unknown environment.” She said in a gloomy voice.

“Heh… actually, I don’t think I was frightened that much. I was happy just being alive. Although, when the guards came I admit that I panicked a little,” I said chuckling at the happiness I felt when I survived the crash.

She smiled again and brought up another question. “However, what would you prefer to be called? You say that your body has changed into the character you were dressed as, so would you prefer being called her name or would you prefer your original name?”

I considered this and came to a final conclusion. “I think I’d like to be called Undyne for now, it’s kinda fun to be named after a hero from a video game.”

“You must tell me more about these video games in the future when we get the chance. Anyhow, lets continue, I’ve already reviewed the guard reports but I would like you to explain some parts of the events to get your side of the story. I’ll start by first telling their side of the events and stop when I have a question. Please feel free to stop me if you feel that any part of this report is false and explain why,” She explained to me.

I nodded and she started off with how the guards came upon the scene after hearing the disturbance. She told me about the events at the shop, and I told her I was startled and felt like I had to flee because I thought I was in danger when the guards tried to arrest me. She nodded and continued with the report. She told me about the events at the barber shop and asked her next question.

“Now I understand that you were scared, and I know that the guard wasn’t hurt. But don’t you think that taking a hostage was a step too far?” She asked as I sat there in shame.

‘What do I say, do I just agree with her and say the truth? But what if she doesn’t like what I say? Ah fuck it, if Trixie and Starlight Glimmer can get away with barely any punishment for threatening entire towns, I’m sure I can say the truth and not have to worry too much.’

“Yeah, I went a little too far with that one. But I was just going to snuggle him, honest, I wasn’t actually going to hurt him. The whole ‘not going to be able to receive hugs for weeks’ thing was just a bluff.” I said hoping that she believed me.

She looked at me sternly and searched for any hint of lies before she spoke again. “I believe you, now we come to the events in the alley outside of the barber shop.”

This was the moment I dreaded the most and I just couldn’t look at her anymore. I just couldn’t take the shame. They were guards just doing their jobs and trying to protect the city. I felt ashamed when I couldn’t control my emotions and let anger and fear control me instead. I felt so humiliated when I broke down and begged the guards to release me as they tried to cuff me. Then I attacked them with those spears and I saw their SOUL’s. Seeing them so helpless on the ground made me feel sick and I felt tears threatening to break past my eyes.

‘NO, I am not going to cry, I’m not that weak and I will not show such weakness,’ I thought as I fought back against the tears.

I felt a winged appendage across my back and I knew that Celestia was trying to console me. I still couldn’t work up the willpower to look at her again but her hoof swept underneath my chin and she forced me to look at her again. Her face was awash with warmth and understanding.

“I have no excuse for what happened. I lashed out and those ponies got hurt because of me. I’m so sorry,” I said speaking what I believed to be true in my heart.

She didn’t do anything but nod and I knew she understood.

“Yeah, I think I need a hug right now.” I said hopefully

She smiled and opened her other wing in a silent invitation. I hugged her and she felt so soft and warm against my scales. I finally got to touch her mane and it felt like there was tiny threads of smooth silk running between my fingers. I felt some sort of energy, similar to the one I felt when I summoned those spears in the ally, but I felt it move passively against my hand like water.

‘This is so cool, I’m actually hugging Celestia!”

I released her from my hug and I felt her wings move away. She allowed me a few more moments to get a hold of myself again and asked another question.

“I’ve reviewed this part extensively and I know now that you truly didn’t want any of that to happen. But I must know, what were those strange hearts my guards saw?”

I sighed as I got ready to tell her. “Those were their SOULs, monsters have the ability to bring out a person’s, or in this case pony’s, SOUL while in combat. When in combat, a monster can attack a pony’s soul directly and shatter it to kill them. A monster’s attack can also physically harm them as well and this damage can directly affect their soul. After a pony is dead, the monster can then…”

I chocked as I realized I probably told her too much. Humans attacked monsters out fear for their ability to absorb a person’s SOUL. If she finds out about this she’ll probably leave me to rot here in order to protect her little ponies.

“Then what? Undyne? What’s the matter?” She asked worried.

I stared at her for a couple seconds and decided to trust her. She’s the only one that can get me out of here and help me. I need to trust her in order for her to trust me.

“I’m going to tell you something that’s really scary alright. Please believe me when I say that I would never try to kill your ponies to do this.”

She stared at me for a couple seconds before she spoke up again. “Undyne it’s alright, I believe you.”

I took a deep breath as I finished my explanation. “If a monster were able to kill a pony, they can then take the pony’s SOUL and absorb it into themselves. Once they do that, they gain a huge magical power boost. From just one SOUL alone, they can become near godlike in power.”

Celestia brought her hoof across her barrel and stared at her chest worried. I quickly tried to ease her fears.

“But don’t worry, if a monster were to absorb a SOUL, their body would change drastically and control over the new body would be split between the monster and pony. Both monster and pony must willingly accept one another and share the power if they were to use it to its full potential. If power over the new body is not equally shared then it can lead to dire consequences for both parties. It’s why I’ll never try it and I just can’t stand the act of killing someone or somepony just for the sake of power. Please believe me,” I said as I thought of the fates of both Chara and Asriel.

Celestia looked back up to me again. “I said I believed you and I meant it. But… I’ve got a request and it’s a little strange.” She paused but I nodded for her to continue.

“I’m actually quite curious as to what my own SOUL looks like. Do you think you could try and show me?” She asked and I was really taken back in surprise.

‘Did she not listen to me when I told her that I have to attack someone in order to make their SOUL’s appear?’ I thought questioning the Princess’s sanity.

“Yeah but, are you sure? I have to attack you in order to make it appear. I’m serious, you could put yourself in serious danger here.” I said hoping she would back off from the request.

She smiled at my concern for her but didn’t seem dissuaded in the least.

“Yes, I’m quite sure, I’ll turn off the wards within the glyphs. You’ve been nothing but honest with me this entire meeting, I trust that you wouldn’t want to really hurt me.” She said and I never felt more heartened in my entire life.

‘She’s only just met me and she already trusts me that much. I’m not sure whether to be impressed that she knows me that well already, or concerned that she may be too naïve. Or maybe she’s that confident in her own strength.’

Her horn glowed and the glyphs on the ceiling glowed a bit before they disappeared from view. She sat there on the ground waiting for me to hit her and I hesitated a little before I closed my right hand into a fist. I slowly brought up my fist and lightly jabbed her in the chest. We both sat there waiting for something to happen until a large golden heart blasted out of her chest.

The gold color disappeared and was replaced by red symbolizing determination. The color then changed into every other color in rapid succession and both I and Celestia stared at her SOUL in wonder.

“Those colors represent different character traits that you embody. I’ve never seen someone have this many colors before in the game. It might mean that either your SOUL is very powerful, or you’re just a very well rounded pony with a strong grasp over many character traits. Those colors tell me that you embody traits such as determination for red, patience for light blue, perseverance for purple, bravery for orange, integrity for blue, kindness for green, and justice for yellow. This is so cool!” I said, and as soon I finished my explanation, the SOUL disappeared.

Celestia brought her hoof to her chest and rubbed the spot where her SOUL used to be. She looked up at me and seemed so happy.

“Thank you for that, indeed it was very… cool. But let us continue our discussion over yesterdays’ events.” She said, but just as soon as she said that, we heard a knock on the bars outside the cell.

We both looked towards the door and found a pony in a maid outfit holding a tray of food on her back. She along with a guard were staring at us with their mouths wide open, likely witnessing what just happened between me and Celestia. The maid got a hold of herself and bowed her head towards the princess before she spoke.

“Princess Celestia, I’ve brought you and the prisoner you’re lunch for this afternoon.”

Celestia got up and moved towards the door and opened it to take the tray off the maid’s back. “Thank you very much Miss Sugar, don’t worry about returning the tray I’ll take care of it.”

The maid bowed her head again and left. The guard pony was still standing there slack jawed and staring at Celestia’s chest until she knocked him out of it with her voice.

“Sir Strong are you quite alright. Do you see something you like?” She asked with a smirk that shut the pony’s mouth and sent him scrambling to salute to her.

“No your highness, I mean yes, it was just so…I mean… but… I’ll just get back to my duties.”

“Carry on Sir Strong,” Celestia said and the guard pony moved along and out of sight.

Celestia closed the cell door and brought the food over to the bed. My lunch seemed to include more salmon, but this time there was a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Juicy looking apples and oranges caught my eye along with some bright orange carrots and lush looking broccoli. Three small cakes with different colors of frosting sat at the edge of the tray for dessert. Celestia took the jug of water into her magical grasp and poured the water into two crystal clear glasses.

As we ate, we went over the rest of events from yesterday and Celestia now knew the perceptions from both parties. I treated myself to a cake considering that it’ll take more than a few sweets to ruin these abs. Celestia seemed to have no qualms about eating so much dessert and ate two of the cakes.

‘Yep, she really loves her sweets, I wonder if she uses some sort of spell to keep herself so thin. Or maybe it takes a lot more than two cakes to put a dent in an alicorn’s body.’ I thought as my taste buds took in all the sweetness of the cake.

Just as we finished our meal, we started to talk about my magical abilities. I told her how the character Undyne could summon multiple spears to attack her enemies and how she could keep her opponents in place as she fought them.

“I don’t really know how I summoned those spears in the alley. I felt some sort energy leave my body when I summoned them, but I’m not sure why I felt the energy in the first place. I know that my anger might have triggered the spears but it may have just been a reflex to defend myself because I don’t remember actually wanting to summon spears to attack the guards.” I explained to Celestia.

Celestia seemed to be pondering this until she brought up a plate in front of her with her magic. “Sorry about this.”

She threw the plate at me and I jumped in surprise when I saw it coming towards me. A blue spear came out of the wall between us and smashed the plate before it could hit me. The shattered pieces of ceramic fell onto the floor and the blue spear slowly receded back into the wall.

“What the hell Celestia, you couldn’t have given me a little warning first!” I chastised her but she was giggling the whole time.

“Oh I’m so sorry Undyne, despite my crude methods it seems to confirm that your spears do react to you being under attack.” She said giggling until we heard hooves clopping outside the cell.

“Your highness I heard a crash, is everything alright in there,” the guard stallion from before came up to the cell door ready to act.

“Everything’s fine Sir Strong, don’t worry, we’re just testing a few things. Return to your post,” Celestia said

“Uh yes, your highness,” Strong left again scratching his helmet with his hoof, likely confused about what just happened.

I looked at the spot in the wall where the spear came from and found no marks from where it emerged. It looked like the spear literally came from nothing and I began to get really excited at the idea that I could use magic.

“Now let’s see you try and attack one of these plates,” she said as she laid a plate on the ground.

I stared at the plate and tried to will a spear into existence. I raised my hand towards the plate and kept ordering a spear to appear with my thoughts. I then tried to imagine the plate as an enemy and that I really needed to destroy it.

‘This plate is your enemy, now strike at it with everything you’ve got.’

A blue glow radiated around the plate and a blue spear immediately shot up from the floor and shattered it.

“Whoohoo, that was awesome, can I get another plate?” I asked Celestia. She looked at me with an amused expression before she answered.

“I may own a lot of plates but I still don’t want to anger my favorite chef.” I gave her my best puppy dog look with my one eye and whimpered a little at my loss of fun. Her willpower was not enough resist my cuteness.

“Alright, alright, just one more.” She said as she laid down one more plate on the floor.

More pieces of ceramic showered into the air as another spear jettisoned from the ground. Some pieces got into Celestia’s mane and I helped her get them out.

“That’s my punishment for starting all of this I guess. Now that I have the full story, I’ll leave you be for the evening. I’ll send for a maid to clean all this up.” She said as she got up.

“Wait aren’t you going to put the wards back up?” I asked

“Of course not, how else are you going to practice your magic and control it? I trust that you’ll not abuse my trust and stay in your cell until after the trial is done tomorrow?” She asked with a smile.

“Yes mom,” I responded sarcastically.

“Good, now your lawyer should be coming in later tonight to brief you about your defense during the trial. She’s really excited to meet you.” She said as she made for the door.

“Wait, I got a lawyer? But Dr. Steady Hoof said that no law office would take my case.” I said confused.

“He was right, no ‘law office’ would take your case. But my sister Luna was more than willing to be your defense lawyer.”

Author's Note

Sorry about ending the chapter here, but the events before, during, and after the trial are probably going to be worth more than 6000 words. I don't like the thought of making my chapters overly drawn out so I'll try to keep each chapter at least between 5,000-10,000 words. Anyway, till next time.

3) A New Friend and Old Allies

Author's Note

Spoiler warning: This story has some exposition in it that that spoils some of the story in Star Wars the Old Republic. You have been warned, so watch a Youtube video or finish the game yourself.

Anyway, enjoy!

3) A New Friend and Old Allies

‘Oh the carriage just had to be too small.’

I laid on top of the medical carriage with my waist strapped to the roof with rope. The two tusks from the Aper Major laid beside me strapped to the carriage as well, acting as my only company. The griffin escort that flew with us kept their distance and kept the carriage surrounded from all sides. They pretty much ignored me when we got in the air and I was left with nothing but my thoughts and a starving belly the whole trip.

When the medical carriage arrived, the medical team was quick to get the princess in the carriage and tend to her injures. The guard escort drew spears on me and told me to keep away, thinking that I may have had something to do with the princess’s injuries. Luckily both the Princess and Boreus stepped in, and told them everything that happened. When they finished telling them the story, they all looked at me with astonishment and respect. Then they did the strangest thing and started begging for my forgiveness, one even went so far as to drop to the ground and bowed to me. Suffice it to say, I was very confused. One second they were angry and suspicious of me, then they hear of how I slayed the Aper Major, and they couldn’t revere me enough.

I asked the princess’s what was going on but she told me that she would answer my questions when we got to Horaca. When Boreus and I tried to get in the carriage with the princess, we quickly realized that my new oversized body would make the carriage too cramped. I had no accurate idea how tall I was now, but I was a giant compared to the griffins. Princess Falca seemed to be the tallest griffin when the med team picked her up and I compared her stature to the rest of them. She was the tallest but even then she barely came up to my waist, but I bet if she were to stand on her hind legs she could come up to my chest at least.

The med team needed room in order to tend to her highness and kept me out, but Princess Falca refused to leave me behind. Boreus came up with the idea to strap me to the roof, and when I and nobody else could come up with any other ideas, we decided to go with it. My armor thankfully kept me warm in the higher altitude and my only view was of the sunny sky directly above me. When clouds became too boring for me, I fell deep within my thoughts and considered recent events.

‘I’m not sure whether to be thankful or worried that my sister is possibly here with me. I’m glad that I may not be alone, but I’m sad that my sister got stuck here with me as well. If she got sent here, then she may have gotten turned into her costume too. If that’s the case then good, it should help her survive until we find each other. Heh, my sister as the great Undyne, she must be having the time of her life.’

……

“NGAHHH!” Spears flew across the cell embedding themselves into the stone walls sending off sparks and debris from the impact. Two royal guards stood outside the cell fretting as the human turned monster practiced her magic. Although at this point it looked like she had moved on from practicing and was just having fun. The guards’ now started shaking when she let out her terrible laugh.

“FUHUHUHU!”

……

‘Now since I just saved a princess’s life, that’s likely going to earn me a few favors. Favors that I can use to help find my sister. Although that may only take me so far, the griffins of Griffinstone showed the griffin race to be a greedy and prideful race,’ I thought until I felt a disturbance from inside the carriage. I could sense that Princess Falca was suffering from her wounds and it hurt me to know that she was still in so much misery.

‘The Princess was a stark contrast from the griffins I saw in the show. She showed humility when she admitted to her kind that she couldn’t defeat the Aper Major, and could have stolen the glory for defeating the beast by lying. It would have been easy, a battle worn princess’s word would have been much more credible than a total stranger with barely any wounds. Speaking of wounds, I should tend to my bruises first when everything’s settled down. I shouldn’t test out the Dark Side when I’m hundreds of meters in the air.’

My belly ached and I immediately changed my mind.

‘Scratch that, beg the griffins for a feast, and then tend to the bruises.’

A few more minutes passed and I thought about nothing but food the entire way. I wanted to taste juicy and cooked meat, cakes the size of dinner tables, and chocolate milk shakes to wash it all down. I was brought out of my food induced stupor when one of the griffin guards landed next to me and yelled over the wind.

“We’ll be approaching the crown city in a few moments, we’ll be descending soon so be ready.”

He took off after I nodded my head in understanding. I shifted around in the rope tying me to the carriage to make sure it was secure and sat up to get a view of the city. I winced a bit as my torso flared in pain from the movement but brushed it off. The city of Horaca was laid out before me and I felt my jaw fall off and drop to the carriage roof.

It nearly matched Canterlot in grandeur, and rivaled most human cities with its size. It sat next to the ocean north of it, with buildings made up of stone and steel making up the bulk of its size with thin roads interwoven between them creating several districts. In the center of the city, a massive city square filled to the brim with griffins contained dozens of wooden stalls that suggested it was a marketplace. Making up most of its northern section laid a vast harbor with hundreds of wooden boats either coming in to drop off cargo, or shipping off to sail east or west. The most amazing part however, was the cloud city above. Dozens of plump clouds floated separate from each other with different cloud buildings large and small resting on top. Griffins and airships flew between each cloud and it all instantly reminded me of Cloudsdale. Horaca was a city with another city right on top of it.

My attention was then drawn towards the southernmost section of Horaca on the ground, where a massive castle was nearly walled off from the rest of city. Four white stoned towers sat opposite of each other connected to a large main building. The towers each had a different colored roof including gold, red, white, and royal blue. The main building looked more like a refined citadel with unattended ballistae lying around the ramparts and large open terraces fixed in different positions. A landing strip positioned between the walls and the castle seemed to be our destination as the carriage moved towards the castle.

We finally landed and I moved to untie myself from the carriage as more griffins flew from the castle towards us. They looked like more medical personnel and they hesitated before approaching the carriage. When the carriage door opened, Princess Falca was moved out on a stretcher and the new medical griffins quickly moved to help. Just as I hopped off the carriage, the princess called for me.

“Jack, please come with us, I would like to speak with you as my injuries are attended to.”

I nodded my head before responding. “Of course your highness, should I just leave the tusks here or should I…,”

“That won’t be necessary sir, I’ll take care of the tusks for you. You’re trophies will be safe in my care until you’re ready to retrieve them,” Boreus interrupted as he hopped on top of the carriage.

“Thanks,” I said as I walked off with the medical entourage towards the castle. Two guards opened up some side gates and I was met with a brightly lit stone passage. Green light emitted from small crystals embedded in the walls and I kept up with the med team as we headed towards what looked like a private emergency room.

“My deepest apologies for introducing you to the castle in such a manner. I promise you that the other parts of the castle are much grander than the medical quarter,” the princess apologized.

“Oh that’s fine your highness, tell you what, as soon as you get better you can show me around yourself. Also, you’ll get a nice view of my face as my jaw drops from all the splendor this place has to offer,” I said flashing her a smile.

She smiled right back as we just got to the emergency room. The room was filled with dozens of other empty beds, private screens, and medical equipment that sat next to white wooden walls. The princess was laid down on the first bed and the team of griffins swiftly moved about to hook her up to their equipment to check her vitals and opened up cabinets to take out some weird gel encased in thick plastic.

“I’ll keep out of everyone’s way as you guys work. I’ll be over in one of the corner beds if you need me your highness,” I said but the princess quickly responded.

“Wait, I have plenty tending to me. You two, he was wounded as well, go tend to his wounds immediately,” she ordered.

“Oh I’m fine your highness, I can take care of my own injuries. Please, I insist you take care of yourself first,” I implored.

She looked at me with an uncertain stare but I smiled and smacked my hand to my chest to show her I was fine. It hurt like hell, but I was really interested to see if I could heal my own injuries with the Force.

“Very well, alright then doctor let’s get this over with,” she said as the leader of the med team blocked her from view with the privacy screen.

I went to the far corner of the room and sat down on one of the beds. I crossed my legs and closed my eyes to think about how I used the Dark Side during the fight. When the Aper Major attacked me, I initially felt fear build up and it nearly paralyzed me when I thought about all I had to loose. That fear however, quickly led to anger and I felt more power than I ever did in my entire life. I never felt so much rage until that moment, I’ve obviously been angry before but that instinct to kill was never that strong. I’d thought about how I’d make bullies and my other enemies hurt before, but I was always able to keep my primal urges in check. There was no filter in that fight, I only thought about how much I wanted to kill that beast and it was only till after the deed was done that I actually started to think straight. I needed to feel that rage again, I need feel that power it offered and try to channel it with the Force.

I thought about my parents, I thought about how I’d just lost everything that I knew. It all finally hit me at once, my family was gone, my future was gone, and my whole life was gone now.

‘I lost everything.’

Grief was all I felt now. I thought about all the things I wanted to do when I got out of college. I wanted to visit my ancestral countries from both my mother’s side and father’s side. I wanted to see Japan and walk around Tokyo. I wanted to camp with my sister in the Outback and see all the wildlife both dangerous and cute.

‘Everything I ever wanted to do is now impossible and it’s all his fault. It’s all that fucking vendor’s fault. He did this to me!’

I felt the Dark Side again and I nearly lost focus from the sheer power it gave me. I held on to my anger and tried to focus the Force to do my bidding. I wanted to get rid of this pain in my chest and demanded that my body heal itself. It was so incredible, the Force bent to my will and I felt the damaged blood cells beneath the skin collectively heal themselves and continue to run thru my veins. The pain was gone and I decided to test out whether or not I could get rid of another pain. I remembered how Starkiller from the Force Unleashed was able keep himself alive for over a week without food by using the Force. My stomach ceased its aching as I willed the Force to provide all that I needed.

“Jack are you alright,” a worried voice called out and broke my concentration. I opened my eyes to see Princess Falca still in her bed alone with the splints replaced by a weird red gel that completely covered both her hind leg and right wing. The sight of her worried face drained the anger right out of me and the dark energy was gone.

“Oh yeah…uh…I’m fine, just thinking about a few things,” I answered her.

She didn’t look convinced.

“Jack you’re crying, I can see the tears from here. Please come over here and tell me what’s wrong.”

I didn’t even realize I was crying and I was hesitant at first, but I realized that she may be the only living thing that cared about me right now. I was all alone and she looked like she may be my only possible friend in this world.

“Yeah…okay,” I wiped my face and got up to move across the room and sit on the small bed next to hers.

“You sat there for nearly an hour. After the med team finished their work I sent them away so they didn’t see you like that. What were you thinking about?” She asked

“I sat there for that long? Wow, I guess I went into a deeper meditation than I thought. I was initially trying to use my powers to heal my bruises, but they required some… less than happy thoughts.”

She looked at me with a worried look. “Your powers require you to put yourself into emotional stress? I’ve never heard of magic like that.”
I chuckled a bit before responding. “I call it the Force, it’s something that I thought was myth before I got here. It’s a long story, do we have time?"

She nodded and I began to tell her my story.

I told her about me and where I came from. How I came from a world where things like the Force and griffins were but tales to entertain in books or movies. Her face could not have been more shocked when I told her that a television series chronicled the lives of the Elements of Harmony. I told her about my life and how I just started my freshmen year in college and just got a pause in my second semester for spring break. My older sister had just gotten her pilots’ license and we wanted to celebrate by going to a con to play new video games and show off some new costumes we made of certain video game characters. We both grew up with cartoons and video games, and we loved to celebrate with them. Then I told her about the vendor that may have sent me here and my mood turned sour.

“So you believe that this…merchant… may be the reason you were sent here and gained all these powers?” Princess Falca asked.

“It’s all I got right now. Although, it could be that some unknown cosmic event sent me here for all I know. What I do know is that everything I knew is gone now and I’m in a griffin kingdom within a world I once thought was complete fiction. Heh, I didn’t even know that the griffins had a kingdom anymore. The show just showed me a crumbling Griffinstone with impoverished and angry griffins.”

Her face turned downtrodden and I immediately tried to apologize.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“No, no, it fine. It’s just sad to think about the once great kingdom of Griffinstone. My grandfather used to tell me so many stories about the great kings who kept our people unified and ensured griffin prosperity for so many generations. But your ‘TV show’ showed you the truth, Griffinstone is now just a black mark in our people’s history, instead of unifying one.”

She stared down at her gel covered wing and sighed. I tried to continue the conversation by asking her a question.

“If I may ask, what happened to the griffins after the idol was stolen? The TV show didn’t go into specific details. It just showed that griffins lost their pride and unity with no king to lead them anymore.”

This actually seemed to cheer her up a bit when she looked at me again.

“I would be honored to tell you of my kinds’ history, even its darkest moments. When that monster Arimaspi stole the idol of Boreas, it left all the old royal Houses, including mine, in an uproar. King Guto was seen as too weak to rule the heart of our kingdom, and he was too slow to stop the infighting when the Houses grabbed for power. My grandfather saw it all in his younger years when his mother sought to make the Shattered Isles independent once again like in the days before King Grover. It sparked a civil war, and only two royal Houses came out of the conflict with enough land to call themselves rulers of a kingdom.”

“My House, House Hialla, retook complete control over the Shattered Isles and took enough of Griffinstone’s old territory beyond the Hyperborean Mountains to call them colonies on the main continent. The other House was House Ridara, and they took control of vast lands surrounding the northern Blue Star Mountains. When the last of King Grover’s line died in battle trying to stop the war, both Houses agreed to leave Griffinstone and the Hyperborean Mountains alone out of respect for the old dynasty.”

“To this day though, both House Hialla and House Ridara have been at odds since the end of the war. House Ridara seeks to unify the griffin race once again with sheer military might, and rule absolutely with no other Houses to challenge them. My House just wants to lead the Shattered isles and colonies in peace, and continue our kingdom’s steady economic growth. My great grandmother secured an alliance with Celestia and our trade fleet has continued to stay the largest in the world. Because of the alliance, our economy rivals the Griffinstone kingdom before the war and has kept peace between the Houses for over a century. House Ridara hasn’t dared to challenge Celestia without a fully unified griffin people, and hopefully it stays that way for another century.”

I sat there completely fascinated by what she said. My major was biochemistry in college, but I wanted to take on a minor in anthropology because of my slight fascination with how human societies developed. To hear a society’s lore from one of its own leaders felt too good to be true.

‘They sure as hell didn’t mention any of that in the episode. However, they did say that Twilight’s book was a little outdated.
’

“Wow, they showed none of that in the TV show. It mostly showed Equestria’s history since it revolved around the Elements of Harmony,” I said as she finished.

“I still find that very baffling, your world has viewed my own for years and you’ve always thought of it as fiction? You probably shouldn’t tell anygriffin else, less you keep them in constant fear of being watched. Anyway, you also said this Force you use comes from another work of fiction as well?” She asked.

I started to get really excited, Star Wars was my favorite sci-fi series and I couldn’t wait to test out all the new powers I still had left to explore. I tried to think of a small summary of the series before I told her.

“Yes, the Star Wars saga mostly focuses on the conflict between two different types of Force users a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. The Jedi, champions of the Light Side of the Force, are always in constant war with the Sith, lords of the Dark Side of the Force. The lore of the story has constantly expanded and even to the day I left, more of the galaxy’s story was being told in movies and games. The best I can say is that the Force is a lot like the magic of your world and I can manipulate the Force to do my bidding. I can use the Force to an even greater degree when I harness it with the Dark Side, it was actually how I was able to defeat the Aper Major.”

“So would that make you a Sith then?” She asked curiously.

I seriously considered this before answering her.

“No, I don’t think so. True Sith Lords are much crueler and probably would have left you to die in that clearing. Like the name implies, the Dark Side usually creates some vile people, however it isn’t entirely evil. The Dark Side relies on a person’s emotions in order to obtain great power. Powerful emotions, like fear and anger, are often how they obtain their power and this can lead them to committing cruel acts. The Light Side requires a person to seek out peace and tranquility while distancing themselves from emotion and ties to other people. Both sides have great strengths and weaknesses, and both can’t exist without the other. At best, I’d say I’m a Dark Jedi right now, so that means I haven’t completely obtained all the power the Dark Side has to offer.”

“Still though, your power is quite impressive. You say you went to the convention as a certain Sith in particular. Who was it?” she inquired.

“Well, the character I became was unique because he can be created in so many different ways. The character I made in the game was my version of the Sith Lord Wrath. He was the embodiment of an Emperor’s wrath and later became the Empire’s wrath when that Emperor betrayed both him and the Empire he fought for. Later my character became the Outlander when the Sith and Jedi were crushed by an Eternal Empire that conquered the galaxy. Lord Wrath brought together an alliance from a galaxy torn apart by war and defeated the Eternal Empire to bring about the largest peacekeeping force the galaxy had ever seen. At the end of his story, Lord Wrath had become a Force user that could embody both the Light and the Dark and used his new understanding of the Force to defeat his old master.”

Princess Falca seemed to be as fascinated as I was when I listened to her people’s history.

“That’s quite a tale, you’ll have to tell me more about these wars amongst the stars. If you now inhabit the body of such an individual, no wonder you were able to defeat the Aper Major,” she said and this reminded me of a question that I’d been meaning to ask.

“That reminds me, why were you trying to kill that beast alone in the first place?”

She paused before responding and her posture seemed to get a little defensive. She seemed to be arguing with herself in her head before she sighed and relaxed before answering.

“You deserve to know, after all, I’m the one that dragged you into that fight in the first place. To understand why I sought to kill the beast, you must first understand how royal griffins can ascend to the throne. When the current ruler of the isles reaches the old age of 65 one of their cubs must be chosen to take their place on the throne by both the monarch and the majority vote of the lesser nobles in House Hialla. Cubs of the royal family must gain prestige and notoriety in the form of deeds that benefit the kingdom to obtain votes. These deeds can range from creating beneficial trade deals with a foreign power, to winning great battles that keep the griffin people safe. The significance of these deeds are judged arbitrarily by both the reigning monarch and the nobles. My deeds have been lacking compared to my sister and father is just 3 years away from turning 65.”

Her eyes drifted away from me and turned downcast towards the floor.

“My elder sister has been far ahead of me since the day I learned how to fly. Even after 3 years of military service and nearly 4 years of devoted public service, my sister is still leagues ahead of me. When rumor reached me on the Summer Island that an Aper Major had returned to the Isles, I thought I had my chance. The star beast is sacred to our people because it was my ancestor Hialla himself that slew the beast the first time. The Aper Major made the Shattered Isles inhospitable to griffins due to its connection to the volcano and the ash that ravaged the isles. Hialla’s tribe was fleeing the continent because of the wendigo’s constant harassment and the isles seemed like the only choice. When the whole tribe’s warriors couldn’t defeat the star beast, Hialla fought the beast by himself and won. He led many griffins to the isles and laid the foundations for my House. Henceforth anyone, with a witness, who slew the Aper Major whenever it reforms will be given the title of Warden of The Isles. It would have ensured my rise to the throne.”

Her eyes traveled to her spear resting against the end table next to her bed, and slowly picked it up to show me. It looked a lot like a Japanese style naginata spear.

“This spear was used by Hialla to slay the Aper Major and its enchantments still run strong to this day. The enchantments will constantly keep the spear sharp and its tip will allow it to pierce nearly any magical barrier. Only magic or magical weapons can hurt a star beast and I thought my speed and agility would bring me victory. I just didn’t expect the beast to be so clever as to fake being tired and leave itself open to spring a trap.”

She handed me the spear and I was surprised at its balance. The metal butt at the end was heavy enough to balance with the blade portion, and the length of the spear was as long as the princess standing on her hind legs. After I ran my fingers along the blade I handed the spear back to her.

“So Boreus was with you to be your witness? So why-Wait, I just realized that Boreus was named after the Idol. Why does Boreus have the same name as an artifact that unified a species?” I asked confused.

Princess Falca laughed at my quick change of subject.

“My butler had parents with high standards from what I understand. However, his name is spelled with an e instead of an a, I think his parents were trying to be clever and it left poor Boreus with standards he couldn’t possibly live up to. And yes, he was supposed to witness me defeating the star beast, but in my haste, I left him behind when I found the beast’s trail. He does try his best though and I’m lucky to have him as a servant.”

I felt an angry disturbance in the Force, and it was coming right towards the emergency room.

“Someone’s coming,” I warned the Princess.

In just a few seconds, the door burst open and an angry griffin marched in growling. She was larger than any griffin I’d met so far and she looked like she had the same feline and bird characteristics of the princess, except with gray feathers instead of dark brown and yellow ones. She stared at me for a couple seconds before she caught sight of Princess Falca and rushed next to her bed.

“Falca! You stupid, stupid cub, why in all of Tartarus were you trying to fight an Aper Major? How bad is your wing? Will it heal properly? Wait, is that Hialla’s spear? Did you take that from the father’s armory? You stupid cub, do you realize how-“

Princess Falca interrupted the raving griffin.

“Sister! I’m fine, let me speak, the restorative gel will accelerate the healing process to less than week. And yes, I did take the spear, but you know damn well why I did all this Takada!” she said with fire in her eyes.

“Is the throne really worth that much to you? You would willingly go and do a suicide mission just to prove yourself!?” Takada fired back.

“It’s apparently worth more to me than all of us, since I’ve actually learned how to govern our people while you still spend your time in the military chasing pirates.”

“We are not having that argument again, especially in front of a foreigner.” Takada said as she scowled at me.

“He’s less foreign to me than you Takada. He saved my life, in fact, by saving my life, he’s done more for me than you ever did in my ENTIRE LIFE!” Falca yelled.

The two siblings glared at each other for a while before Takada reached over and jerked the spear from Falca’s talons.

“I’m taking this to the armory and you and father are going to have a long talk when he returns. And you,” Takada said as she pointed the spear at me, “Are coming with me. You have some explaining to do.”

‘Like hell I am. I’m not going anywhere with some loud mouth griffin, even if you are Falca’s sister.’

“I apologize, but no. I refuse to leave Princess Falca’s side until she tells me to.” I answered as calmly as I could.

Takada seemed ready to blow up with all that anger I sensed in her.

“I don’t think you fully realize your situation. YOU are illegally trespassing on our lands, and even if you did save my sister, you will still do as I say. I will chain and collar you like an animal if I have to. So I will say this only one more time. You are coming with me, NOW!” she ordered.

I felt like diplomacy wasn’t going get me anywhere with her so I stuck with my convictions.

“Kinky, but my answer is still no,” I stated.

It seemed like I pushed her over the edge but Falca thankfully intervened.

“Jack, I appreciate it, but I’ll be fine, just go with her and get everything settled. Takada, I brought him here and he’s now my friend and responsibility, so you will do well to make sure that nothing happens to him. Understood?”

Takada got control over her anger and answered her sister.

“Understood, now come with me…Jack.”

Takada turned and moved towards the door while I got up from the bed. Before I got to the door I turned around and waved goodbye to Falca. She smiled and waved back.

Both Takada and I were walking down the greenly lit corridor until we came across a patrol of guards. She handed the spear to one of them and told them to return it to the armory. We walked in silence until we started to get closer to the entrance the med team and I entered the castle from.

“So I take it that you were one of the objects that fell from the sky last night?”

“Yes I was,” I responded keeping my answers short and sweet.

“Do you know of the two other objects that fell?”

“Possibly, one of them may have been my sister, but I don’t know what the other may be.”

“Unless your sister is a giant hunk of metal, then I don’t know what it is. The other object that landed on the island was found by one of my Father’s scout teams before he left the isles. He left me in charge of securing the object until he returns.”

“Why did the king leave?”

“It’s none of your business foreigner.”

We walked out the entrance to find a whole platoon of armed griffins standing outside on the landing strip with a large carriage that looked more like a military transport. It was entirely made out of metal and had small openings instead of windows. A griffin stood on top with a small ballistae attached to the roof, and six griffins stood in front ready to carry the carriage into the sky.

“I want you to come with me to see if you can identify the object and its occupants. Unknown creatures spewed forth from the object when the scout team got too close. One seemed to be literally made of metal and fired off warning shots with some weird weapon. The other creature was something the scouts never saw before. It was black with feathers sticking out of its head and chased after the scouts on four legs before they flew off. Do you have any idea who or what these creatures are?” Takada asked as we got closer to the metal carriage that thankfully seemed large enough to fit my size.

‘This is starting to sound very familiar.’

“It sounds familiar, did the scouts say anything else?” I asked

After a few moments she answered me.

“They did, they said that the metal creature called one of them a…meatbag.”

……

As soon we got in the carriage and took off, I told Takada about the creatures and object that was mostly likely my ship model turned spaceship. She asked how I could lose an airship that big but I told her I was sent here against my will and had no idea that the ship even came with me. I told her that the metal creature was my droid companion HK-55, and of course, she asked me what a droid was. I told her that a droid was a machine programmed to protect me and do my bidding. She said it sounded like a golem and we moved on to the second creature.

From her description it sounded like my favorite mount from the game came with the ship as well. I told her that it was my pet varactyl and that she was harmless. Takada didn’t look like she believed me so I offered her a proposal.

“I’ll go to the object and get them to peacefully stand down. No one has to fight, I’ll see if I can get my ship off the ground and I’ll leave the isles peacefully. Obviously you don’t want me or the ship here, so I’ll take my ship and find my sister on the continent.”

“No deal, that ship landed on our territory, so it is now property of the kingdom. WE, are going to go to your ship together with my soldiers. Then you are going to get your pets to stand down and fly it back to Horaca to be impounded,” She said unfairly.

‘So it’s going to be like that huh, and HK is no pet.’

“That will end in disaster, if HK-55 sees you surrounding me with a whole platoon of fifty soldiers, he’ll think you and your soldiers are a threat. How about this, you and I will go to the ship with at least ten of your best soldiers while the rest watch from a safe distance. I’ll still go with you back to Horaca, but the ship is mine. Princess Falca said herself that I was her friend, and I don’t think she'll allow her savior to have his property stolen from him by her own family.”

She scowled at me for a few seconds as she considered my counter proposal.

“Very well, but it’ll be fifteen of my soldiers instead.”

“Deal”

We spent a few minutes of the trip silently staring at each other. On all fours Takada seemed to be half a head taller than her sister. From her attitude and heated debate not too long ago, I could tell that she was completely military in character. She was probably used to issuing orders and having people follow them without question. I had a certain respect for the military because of my sister’s goal to join the Air Force back home after she got out of college. As soon as she got her pilots’ license, Katy was sure of her goals and I was proud to support her every step of the way.

‘I should probably give Takada a little respect. It takes a lot of courage to lay down your life for others.’

While I was trying to think of a way to break the ice between me and her, Takada spoke up.

“I know it may not have seemed like it, but I’m really glad you saved Falca. You saved my sister and for that I’m thankful.”

I was a little stunned at her change in attitude but I quickly tried to respond.

“You’re welcome, and just so you know, your sister really did hold her own against the Aper Major. She left a ton of scars on it before she got hurt.”

Her eyes drifted off as she considered my words. After a minute passed by she spoke to me again.

“I don’t doubt my sister is strong, but as the evidence shows, she still shouldn’t have fought the star beast in the first place. Also, from what my soldiers say, you were the one to claim victory over the beast. My father is just going to loooove you.”

I tried to ask her what she meant by that, but two knocks from the roof stopped me.

“We’re here, get ready to go,” she said ending the conversation.

As soon as we touched down I got out and checked my surroundings. We seemed to be on the island coast as my boots hit sand and I looked around to find the sun starting to set towards the horizon, signifying that it would get dark soon. I detached my helmet from my belt and put it back on so I could see the mini map in case I got lost. The helmet seemed to be passively scanning the landscape as I moved around the island and it had a more detailed, but still incomplete, map of the landmass.

Takada lined up her troops and we all followed her into the forest behind the beach. I looked up and saw the volcano beyond the tree line quite a distance away and wondered if I could have ever found the ship if I even knew it was here. A little clock under the mini map told me we spent 17 minutes marching until Takada ordered us to halt. Apparently we were getting close to the ship and she got 15 soldiers together like she promised. We started to march again and I got a glimpse of the ship.

It was surrounded by trees but I could see the black and white metal of the craft. When we started to get closer I started to hear beeping. I asked Takada to stop and we all halted. She looked at me waiting for an answer but I didn’t pay attention to her as the beeping continued in my helmet.

Beep-Beep, Beep-Beep

‘What the hell is that, is that a phone?’

My hands stretched across my helmet to find the source of the disturbance until it suddenly stopped altogether. Takada was getting impatient.

“What is going on, why have we stopped?”

I was about to answer her until I saw a flash of blue light and an innate instinct with the Force kicked in. My lightsaber flew into my hand and I activated it to stop the blaster bolt before it hit Takada in the head.

“EVERYONE GET DOWN,” I screamed as I saw more blaster bolts. I watched each bolt fly thru the air in slow motion and I predicted easily where each would land. My hands were a blur as my stance got into Form 3 and deflected 4 more bolts and sent them towards the trees. I stood there in silence waiting for more, but after 20 seconds nothing happened. Then the silence was broken when a familiar voice sounded off from one of the trees next to the ship.

“Joy: It really is you master!”

I recognized HK-55’s robotic voice and method of speech. I quickly took a peek behind me to see all the griffins laid down on the ground and Takada looked pissed.

“HK-55 stand down now.”

“Confirmation: Of course master, deactivating base defense protocols.”

A gold and black bipedal killing machine dropped from the trees and landed 10 meters away from the group. His blaster rifle rested in his arms pointed to the ground and the glowing red eyes scanned me and the rest of the griffins as they got up.

“Apology: Master, when you and the feathered meatbags came I thought something must have been wrong when you didn’t pick up your com link. So I assumed you were under distress and tried to quell the meatbags. I’m sorry that my assumptions were wrong.”

Takada came up to me barking mad.

“You said that he wouldn’t think we were a threat if we came in a smaller group. So why in Tartarus did he try to kill us!?”

I turned to talk to her but HK responded first.

“Justification: Like I said, master wouldn’t pick up his com link and you were possible threats to master’s safety. Besides, my blaster was set to stun and you would have instead ended up unconscious. My gracious master values life and had set my settings to pacify possible threats instead of killing them. Your welcome.”

“Your wel- oh you little piece of trash, I will rip you apart.”

“Declaration: You will not succeed.”

“THAT’S ENOUGH.”

I put my lightsaber between them and tried to end the dispute.

“Princess Takada I take full responsibility for what happened. I didn’t respond to his communications and he jumped to conclusions, I’m sorry. But, I did pacify him and no one got hurt. Let’s continue towards the ship and get it back to your city. Alright?”

She glared at me before she took a deep breath and calmed down.

“Fine, but one more incident like this and the deal's off. I’ll call in the rest of my troops and I’ll drag you and your golem back in chains. Understand?”

“Crystal clear.”

I deactivated the lightsaber and hooked it back on my belt. Takada watched the blade retract and I smirked at her amazement of my favorite weapon.

“So you had a weapon on you the entire time,” she stated.

“What? You wouldn’t have been able to take it from me even if you tried.”

We all walked towards the ship and the sun had just set and the moon flew thru the sky. Now that I knew it was Celestia and Luna controlling the celestial objects, it made much more sense in how they moved. We made it to the Fury’s crash site and found it imbedded in the earth with fallen trees collapsed on its left side.

“Depressed: Oh master, the ship has been left in such a sorry state since you disappeared. That miserable protocol droid wouldn’t stop whining.”

“Pride: However, I kept us all here safe and ready for your return master. And your mount helped a little.”

Just as he said that I felt a happy presence with the Force, and my favorite cave varactyl came running down the ship’s entrance ramp. She ran right towards me and it didn’t look like she was slowing down.

“Hey, hey, hey, easy girl don-“

She tackled me off my feet and proceeded to lick my helmet when I hit the ground. In any other circumstance I’d be scared shitless, but my connection to the Force told me that she meant me no harm. I patted her feathers and just let her enjoy her happy moment.

Takada and the other griffins just stood there awkwardly and after a few seconds I thought it was time to get her off. I tapped her beak and ordered her to get off and she unhappily complied.

‘She’s much cooler to see in person.’

I heard metal footsteps clank down the ramp and looked to find my meek little protocol droid 2V-R8.

“Oh master, it’s so good to see you again. I’m terribly sorry about the ship, but I performed as well as my programming allowed me. Please don’t deactivate me,” The droid pleaded.

“You’re okay 2V-R8, just tell me the status of the ship,” I ordered.

“All systems except the hyperdrive are in perfect working order master. Also, your equipment and collections are safely secured in the cargo hold. The ship however won’t be able lift off unless we are able to remove it from the ground. I wasn’t designed for such labor.”

‘Of course the only way to travel the galaxy was broken, how convenient. It just keeps making more and more sense that someone sent me here instead of something’

“Alright, we’ll set up a team to come out and get your ship out of the ground tomorrow. Let’s head back to my soldiers and go back to the city, but you can’t bring any of them with you.” Takada spoke out as 2V-R8 explained the situation.

‘I got a better idea.’

“Actually hold on, I think I can get it out.”

“Really, how?” she said unbelievably with a smirk on her beak.

“With the Force of course.”

My eyes traced around the massive ship and I actually wondered if I could do this. I searched my feelings and thought about the one thought that brought me so much anger. The vendor that took away all I loved.

My right hand stretched towards the ship and I felt the Force surround it. The weight nearly buckled me, but my anger demanded that I continue on. The fallen trees fell off the side of the ship as it started to lift up in the air and the Dark Side gave me the strength to keep going. A few moments later, the ship was completely free of the earth and floated in the air. I looked for a spot to put the ship down and I Force pushed some fallen trees out of the way with my left hand to make room. I carefully set the ship down and it rested evenly on the ground. Yoda would be proud.

As I turned around, I smirked underneath my helmet as I found 2V-R8 clapping and the griffins with their mouths gaping.

“Well done master, simply well done,” praised the protocol droid.

“Statement: You are a testament to which all Sith should strive for master.” HK said as he moved towards the ship and up the ramp.

Takada was still amazed by what I did and, I had to admit, so was I. I broke her out of her astonishment when I asked her if she was coming.

……

The ship was just like it was in the game. Everything from the holoterminal to the galaxy map was where it should be, and it all seemed to be in tip top shape. My cave varactyl headed towards the cargo bay and I left her to join HK-55 on the bridge. Takada’s soldiers were wandering around the main area of the ship and 2V-R8 kept telling them to stop touching everything. I admit I was tempted to touch everything as well, because I felt like I just had a wish come true.

Takada herself joined me on the bridge and I began to worry if I could actually fly this damn thing. Luckily more images and new memories made their way into my mind and all the controls started to make sense. I recognized the ascent controls, the hyperdrive activation switch, weapon controls, and the sensor array. I turned on the ship and I felt giddy at hearing the ship roar to life.

“Let’s get out of here. The rest of your troops will follow us back to the city right?”

Takada was a little alarmed by how the ship roared and she got her composure back before she answered me.

“Yes, when they see the ship, they’ll follow us back to Horaca.”

“Okay, and don’t worry I know how to get back to the city.” I said leaving Takada surprised.

My mini-map had scanned our path from the city and it’ll be a simple matter to follow the directions. My hands toggled the ascent controls and I nervously felt the ship fly into the air. When we ascended above the trees I activated the engines to start propelling us forward, and we started our ride back to the crown city. The landmass of the island quickly passed underneath us and Takada and I could not have been more amazed.

“This…This is absolutely amazing, I never would have thought that something like this was possible! Airships are nothing to this ship's size, yet it moves faster than anything I’ve ever seen.” Takada said watching through the viewport in front of us.

“Statement: My design for combat is much more unique and sophisticated than this ship. I think you should be more amazed by me,” HK said from the co-pilot’s seat as Takada and I ignored him.

“Yeah, it really is amazing what science can achieve isn’t it.” I said as Horaca came into view.

4) Canterlot Court

“I’m starving… hey guards! When’s dinner gonna get here?”

I walked up to the cell door and looked to find Strong and another guard trying really hard to look mad at me. Their faces showed disapproval, but their shaking legs revealed fear. I gave them a sharp toothed smirk and their legs now looked like they would give out.

“It will be here momentarily mons- ma’am.” Strong answered making me frown at his slip.

“Hey come on guys, I wouldn’t hurt ya. You ponies are just too cute and adorable. Also, I may be a monster now, but I ain’t an evil monster okay. So come on, loosen up,” I said giving the gentlest smile I could.

Strong seemed to get a little bit of his courage back, but his face still displayed displeasure.

“How can we loosen up, when we know you can do that anytime you want?” He asked pointing his hoof towards my cell.

After Celestia left and a maid swept up the shattered plates off the floor, I immediately began testing my magic. Shattered rock littered the floor and the walls were honeycombed with holes. The metal table was warped beyond recognition after my spears ripped it apart and the chair was in pieces. Blue spears still poked out of the floor in odd directions with bits of blue magic flaking off them revealing how they would fade over time. My prison cell looked like a storm passed through it and only the bed remained untouched.

‘Okay maybe I went a little overboard, but I have powers now. Who wouldn’t go a little crazy?’

“Well Celestia said I could practice my magic. I mean… come on, I can summon levitating spears for crying out loud. What am I supposed to do, not throw them at things?” I asked.

Both Strong and the other guard looked at me with disbelief.

“YES, Princess Celestia wanted you to practice your magic so you wouldn’t accidentally do things like this. She wanted you to practice control, not see how much a stone wall can take a beating!” Strong shouted.

“Well you’re no fun at all. Jeez, why are you so mad about the cell? Can’t you just get a unicorn to magically clean up the place?” I asked shrugging my shoulders.

“What! No, it’ll take at least ten ponies to fix all this. What in the world makes you think that a single unicorn can cast enough spells simultaneously to fix all this damage?” Strong asked with a raised eyebrow.

‘Watching entire seasons of a certain purple unicorn cast spells as easily as breathing.’

I didn’t have a good answer to give so I just stood there in silence looking sheepish. Strong shook his head while the other guard gave me deadpan stare. After a minute of awkward silence, Strong and his comrade resumed their patrol and left me with a request to keep the damage to minimum for now on. I resumed my practice and instead of using spears to break things, I tried to see how many I could summon at time. Every time I summoned a spear it became easier to control them, and that instinct to attack things with them became unnecessary. I even managed to summon a few yellow spears, but this became a mistake when they ended up striking me instead of the wall. I panicked when the spears changed direction in the air and flew back at me and was surprised when the tips of the spears only left bruises instead of gaping holes.

I sat on my bed in confusion as I pulled up my tank top to stare at my injuries. The blue scales covered any discoloration, but a few of the scales were bent and protruding in uneven angles. It hurt to touch them so I thanked my resilient scales and left them alone to ponder why the spears weren’t doing their function and weren’t piercing anything.

‘They could do damage for sure if the wrecked room and guards I injured are anything to go by, but they acted more like blunt weapons than piercing ones,’ I contemplated.

I summoned a spear into my hand and touched the tip with my index finger. It felt like a rounded edge and it left me in confusion. While I didn’t plan on killing or maiming anything in the near future, it might pay off to learn how the spears can pierce through more than just tissue paper. Whenever I threw the spears around in my cell they would leave a serious impact on either the wall or table, but they would always bounce off after contact and dissipate. I focused on the spear in my hand and kept my finger on the tip as I tried to will it into a sharper point. The thin mass of energy in my hand molded in my hands as I focused on a thinner and keener edge. I smiled in victory when I felt the spear mold on command but lost that smile when I put a little too much pressure on my finger.

Specks of white dust began to spill from my finger and I dropped the spear as I realized I had no idea how to treat a monster’s cut. I stuck my finger in my mouth out of instinct to keep dust from leaking out of me, but this only made it worse when my razor sharp teeth cut into my finger even more. I yelped and dust began to leak generously from my finger and my panic only got worse. I pulled the sheets from my bed around my finger to stem the flow of dust and desperately tried to think of how injures were taken care of in Undertale.

‘Items. I need items,’ I thought quickly.

I looked around my cell and found the jug of water from lunch on the floor next to the warped metal table partially full after being tipped over. I briskly walked over to the jug, bringing the entire bed sheet with me, and drank what was left of its contents. I felt a little different, and risked a quick peek to see if my finger was still bleeding magic dust. The scales surrounding my finger looked like nothing had happen to them. The pain I felt around my abdomen was gone as well, and I lifted up my tank top again to see that all the scales were back in place.

‘It seems that my body follows game mechanics like Frisk does too. I get injured, I need to consume something to heal myself. I should probably stick to that healing method or else my own innate determination may turn me into a liquid puddle.’

I shuttered at the thought and was just glad to know that I wasn’t going leak any more magical essence. Monsters in Undertale underwent a freighting change when injected with determination, the essence that allowed humans to persist after death. The amalgamates were monsters that were liquefied and turned into disfigured shapes when their bodies couldn’t stand the pressure determination put on them. Undyne was the most determined out of all the monsters and when she fell during a genocide playthrough, she herself would melt from her own determination to keep on fighting. A bright light flashed at the edge of my vision and I blinked in surprise when I turned around to see Princess Luna herself standing in the center of my cell.

A briefcase and tray of food floated next to her as she struck a dramatic pose with her wings outstretched and her hoof poised above her head in a dramatic fashion. Her eyes were closed and her voice shook the shattered stone across the floor as she voiced her introduction.

“DO NOT WORRY YOUNG MONSTER, FOR WE HAVE COME TO AID THOU IN THY’S TIME OF NEED. WE ARE PRINCESS LUNA, RULER OF THE NIGHT AND DEFENDER OF THOSE WHO CAN’T DEFEND THEMSELVES. THROUGH US, THOU SHALL RECIVE FAIR TREATMENT IN THE EYES OF THE LAW AN-,” Luna thankfully stopped as she opened her eyes at last to see my discomfort as I folded my hands over the fins on my head to try and hinder her voice.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m still trying to adjust to this new way of speech. Are you alright?”

A wicked thought creeped into mind as Luna tried to see if I was okay.

“WHAT?” I yelled.

Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates and spoke again.

“Are you alright? Can you he-,”

“WHAT?” I interrupted, fighting down a grin.

“This can’t be happening.”

“WHAT?”

“Oh no, Tia’s going to kill us. We just destroyed an alien visitor’s hearing. What are we going to do, what are we going to do? Will healing magic work? No, it’s too risky, our own royal physician said that such magic would be unwise at this point. Oh poor creature, we are truly sorry,” she apologized as her wings began to droop.

“Ah its fine princess, I forgive ya,” I said flashing her a wicked grin.

She did a double take from my response and her bafflement caused me to laugh as loudly as I could. I wiped a few tears of joy from my eyes to see the blue princess trying to compose herself and was glad to see that she wasn’t angry at my little prank.

“Ah, tis but a prank, thou- I mean, you certainly got me good, young monster. A fine trick, bravo.” She stomped her hoof on the ground to congratulate my shenanigans.

As soon as she was done congratulating me, she looked around my cell surprised at the destruction I caused. Unease crossed her face as she looked at me again and voiced her concerns.

“Did your magic cause all this? My sister told me that she left you to practice when she left but I didn’t expect this to be the aftermath.”

I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment before I responded.

“Yeah uh, sorry, I got a little carried away with all the newfound powers and what not. But, I think I can control it better now. So uh… there’s that at least. This isn’t going to affect my chances at the trial right?” I asked hopefully.

She gave off a huge sigh before responding.

“No, although destruction of royal property is a serious offense, my sister did give you permission to practice magic in your cell however you saw fit. Luckily I’m more than capable of cleaning this up myself.”

The blue aura surrounding Luna’s horn intensified and her eyes shinned with white light as I felt her alicorn magic sweep around the cell. The intense wave of power made my scales twitch as the magic in my body sensed the foreign power. Rocks littered over the floor swept pass my feet and reattached themselves on the wall showing virtually no signs of damage. The warped metal table was lifted up into the air and reconfigured to become its original form. Pieces of the chair folded back into place and it was set down next to the table. I felt a tugging on my hand and I released the bedsheet to allow Luna to take it towards the bed and fold it perfectly. My dust was still speckled over the bed sheet and I hoped Luna didn’t notice. I didn’t need her thinking that I was a child who couldn’t be trusted around sharp objects.

I felt Luna’s magic beginning to dissipate and the aura around her horn slightly faded while the white glow covering her eyes disappeared. She inspected her work looking for any imperfections, while I just stared in awe at her mastery over magic.

“There we go, I just saved the royal treasury a huge repair bill. Now are you ready for your dinner tonight Miss Undyne.” Luna placed the tray of food on the newly repaired table and set her briefcase next to one of the table legs with her aura. Salmon seemed to be on the menu again, thankfully it was a tiny morsel compared to the food surrounding it. Spinach and thinly sliced zucchini dressed with lemon juice, pecans, parmesan, and mint overshadowed the fish on both plates and my mouth watered at the sight. The desert this time were two little bowls of ice cream with hot fudge lathered over each scoop. To wash it all down was another jug of water.

“Damn, I get to eat with two princesses in one day. You keep spoiling me like this and I’ll never want to leave this cell,” I said grinning.

Luna giggled at my comment.

“Let’s hope not. I don’t want you spending any more time in here after what my sister told me of your story. Also I come with news over the possibility of your brother coming with you to Eques.”

All the thoughts in my mind grinded to a halt when she mentioned my little bro. I tore my eyes away from the food and Luna had my full attention.

“Astral reports have confirmed that two more objects fell from the sky on the day you arrived. My sister has begun an investigation on the whereabouts of their landing sites in the far east beyond our borders and has sent letters to neighboring nations to request help in locating them.”

“When do you think you’ll find him?” I asked hastily.

“Keep in mind, we’re not exactly sure if he was one of the objects or not. But rest assured, if your brother was one of the objects we’ll find him for you. You have my word,” Luna said lifting a huge weight off my shoulders.

I sat down in the chair relieved at the news and Luna conjured up a pony sized chair to sit down with me at the table. She continued to speak as she brought her suitcase up and opened it on the table with her magic and simultaneously used a fork and knife to cut into her zucchini.

“I have reviewed all the reports of the incident, including my sister’s conversation with you this afternoon. However, while my sister only wanted a general understanding of the incident, I require a more detailed explanation. In order to anticipate what the prosecution may use, I need every detail explained to make a strong defense. First though, we need to come to a conclusion on the charges you wish to plead not guilty to.”

“Ok, what are the charges?” I asked as I savored the lemon juice and mint from the zucchini.

“Three charges on the destruction of private property, resisting arrest from a royal officer, then kidnapping an officer as well. Multiple assault charges on several officers and lastly…well…, attempted murder.”

I choked on my zucchini and beat my chest to dislodge it from my throat. As soon as I got my breath back, I voiced my disbelief.

“Murder!? I didn’t try to kill anyone, I mean I hurt the guards and all, but I didn’t hurt anyone severely didn’t I? Dr. Hoof said that everyone that got hurt only got away with minor injuries.”

Luna calmly brought out a file from her briefcase and read out loud what was inside.

“According to a Miss Chrono Piece, after you destroyed her emporium you attempted to eat her until she ran away to the safety of the royal guards.”

“Who?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“The pony whose clock shop you destroyed,” Luna answered.

Memories of a scared green earth pony cowering in fear resurfaced and I couldn’t remember at what I point I looked like I would try and eat her.

“Listen, there must be a misunderstanding, I did nothing that suggested I would try and eat her. I asked her if she was a pony and she freaked out and bolted out the shop. That’s it, I swear,” I said hoping Luna would believe me.

“That’s why I’m here Undyne. We are going to go through every single detail of your side of the incident, and we’ll make a defense on the crimes you’re actually not guilty of. So start from the beginning and we’ll go from there,” Luna said.

“Ok…alright, it all started when me and my little brother Jack went to a con…” I once again retold my tale to the princess. Luna was taking notes on sheets of paper and would ask questions to clarify the smallest details. The description of the vendor at the con, the void I was transformed in, my reactions to the guards ordering my surrender. Luna interrupted me at one point to go to the barred window and raised the moon (‘So cool!’). We went over every event of the incident in detail and I answered her questions with confidence. That is until we got to the part about how I begged the guards to let me go.

“Hold on, from the guard’s report on the incident, the guards stated that you said ‘I swear on Princess Celestia’s sun that I had no control over what happened.’ How did you know of my sister’s existence prior to coming to this world?” Luna asked.

I panicked as I completely forgot that I said that. I luckily managed to not tell Celestia that her world was a TV show when I told her my story. Luna kept staring at me waiting for an answer, and when I couldn’t think of an excuse I sighed and told her everything. How her world was viewed as entertainment for humans in my world and how the Elements of Harmony were the main focus. She kept staring at me in stunned silence until I finished, and the princess of the moon was at a loss for words.

“I, I, how, wha…” Luna babbled.

‘I think I broke Princess Luna.’

“I can prove it too, tell me, do you remember your first Nightmare Night after your return from the moon?” I asked.

My question snapped her back to reality and she answered.

“Of course, Nightmare Night was just a week ago. You know what happened?”

‘Wait, only a week ago? So that means I’m stuck in the middle of season two then.’

“Yep, in fact, I remember a small detail that isn’t common knowledge to most ponies. You gained a cute little admirer in a pirate outfit that night, his name is Pipsqueak, and after you told him that Nightmare Night would continue, he hugged you and said that you were his favorite princess.” I said showing off my toothy grin.

Luna just stared at me in bafflement for a few seconds and got up to pace around the cell. I could figuratively hear the gears grinding in her head trying to comprehend my information dump. After a few minutes Luna sat back down, outwardly a bit calmer, and ready to speak again.

“Since I can’t prove in any way that your claim is false, I’ll just have to accept that your explanation as truth given the available information. However, this information is to remain secret at all times. Do you understand? Our little ponies can’t know that their world is being watched by extraterrestrial beings. It would cause a panic, so I will consult with my sister on this new information. Do I have your word that you won’t speak of this to anypony else?” Luna asked.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, I promise not to tell anypony else. Besides, me just being here might make all knowledge I have of the future false. If Nightmare Night was just a few nights ago, then that means I’ve landed way early in the show. For all I know, events in future seasons might not even occur with me just existing. I could just be in an alternate universe, and if that’s the case, I don’t think you have to worry about aliens watching every moment of your lives,” I said trying to reassure her.

“Alternate universes have been theorized before, you may be right,” Luna said considering my theory.

We continued the rest of the evening talking about the rest of the events of my rampage and Luna offered her recommendations.

“I recommend that you plead guilty to vandalizing the alley wall, destroying the food cart, and all the charges against the royal guard. There is evidence and creditable witnesses to each crime and by your own admission you say you are guilty of them. Pleading guilty will make the court hearing about your punishment easier on you when my sister comes to a decision.”

“However, I urge you to plead not guilty when faced with the charges of destroying Miss Chrono Piece’s emporium and her attempted murder. You had no control over what happened to her store and I’m sure I can label it as an accident that couldn’t be avoided. For her supposed attempted murder, there is no evidence beyond her word alone, and when I cross-examine her testimony I’ll see to it that the court believes our side of the events. Now let’s go over what you’ll say when you’re brought up to testify.”

Luna and I spent hours in the night going over what I would say in court and by the end I was about to drop dead from the lack of sleep. We finally wrapped everything up and Luna got ready to go. Before she left I just had to let her know my gratitude.

“Thank you so much for doing this. I never thought I would get Princess Luna herself to be my lawyer. I’ve never been on trial before, even in my own world, it means a lot to me that you’re doing this,” I said thanking her.

“I have only come to grips with the new laws since my return, but I couldn’t just let somepony like you go to trial unprepared. This meeting has proven to me that you are a being more than worthy of redemption. Out of all the victims in this entire mess, you are the one that has been hurt most of all. You have been torn away from your family, your home, and even your own body. Of course I would come to defend you,” Luna said smiling warmly.

Waterworks threatened to spill again but I forced them down before I spoke.

“Both you and Celestia have been nothing but kind to me after I’ve done nothing but cause you two trouble. I do not care what anyone else says. You two are truly the best princesses in the world.”

Luna looked down at her hooves and smiled in embarrassment before looking up at me again.

“Now you are the one that is being too kind. Sweet dreams Undyne.”

With that final note, Luna vanished in a flash of light taking her briefcase and empty food tray with her.

……

I laid in my plush chair reading the guard reports once again in preparation for the trial tomorrow. In my study, a comely fire lit up the room and set a calming atmosphere. I already had in mind what punishment was suitable to Undyne’s crimes but I’ll come to a final decision when my sister and the prosecution had presented their cases. A creature like Undyne didn’t deserve to be locked away and forgotten like the nobles desperately wanted to. Undyne had the misfortune of landing in Canterlot of all places, and while a simple royal pardon from me would have resolved the issue in any other town or city, the nobles here made that difficult. They would call me a merciful saint if I pardoned her for committing her crimes in someplace like Ponyville. Although, since she committed her crimes here, they would question the decision at every turn and it could cause unforeseen consequences in Undyne’s future.

When I read the morning newspaper, Undyne was of course on the front page and she was already declared a villain the likes of Discord. The Dread Fish, they called her. Terror of Canterlot and devourer of all ponies after the clock shop owner Chrono Piece told the Press how Undyne tried to eat her. After reviewing the reports and actually talking to Undyne herself, I was more than skeptical of the clock clerk’s claim. All my years of experience in communication with all kinds of sentient beings had made me a master at judging character no matter the race. By the end of this trial, I hope my little ponies will see what I saw in that cell.

‘Somepony who is lost and alone, who can admit her mistakes and just wants to find what family she has left. A helping hoof is what she needs, not a prison sentence.’

I already sent letters to all the other kingdoms to notify them of Undyne’s presence and to keep a look out for the two other objects that fell from the sky. I paid special attention to my allies in the eastern kingdoms and hoped I would gain some sign of Undyne’s brother by the end of the week. Finding the brother was as much as a personal priority as it was a security one. Both my sister and I had felt the dark disturbance and we knew that the new visitors to our world might be connected to it in some way. It could not be just a coincidence, as dark power such as this hasn’t been felt since the rule of Sombra. Even then, this new dark magic was more powerful than anything I felt from Sombra and it shook me to my core. It made me nervous for what the future had in store for my little ponies and me.

A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts and I laid the reports on an end table before responding.

“Come in.”

My little sister Luna came through the door and she looked troubled.

“What is it Lulu, did something happen with our new guest?”

She nodded her head.

“Yes Tia, while the meeting went well, she revealed some interesting information that we need to discuss.”

……

I was escorted through the halls of the castle by the royal guards and I could hardly keep the fangirl in me contained. So many familiar halls passed me by until we got to a hallway with iconic stain glass windows. The first one showed six little ponies blasting a vile Nightmare Moon, releasing Luna from her corrupting influence. Two more showed my favorite draconequus being defeated by Celestia and Luna in the past and end up being defeated once again by the new Elements of Harmony. I wanted to stay and gawk at the works of art, but the magical aura tugging at my cuffs forced me to move faster.

Eight royal guards surrounded me as we headed towards the throne room and my anxiety began to catch up with me again. Several voices were heard beyond the large door at the end of the hall and they kept getting louder with each step I took. I felt like I was marching towards my doom and I had to keep reminding myself to calm down.

‘I’m going to be fine. I’m going to be fine. I’m going to be fine. I’m going to be fine…’

I repeated my mantra until we got to the door and two of the unicorn guards in front of me glowed their horns to open it. The voices were silenced at my entrance and I was surprised by the throne room’s total makeover. Luxurious bleachers along both sides of the room seated dozens of ponies, all staring at me with various expressions. Some stared at me with outright fear, leaning back in their seats as I passed them on the luxurious carpet. Others glared at me with scorn, looking at me as if I was some insect that needed to be squashed. A few though stared at me with innocent curiosity, and I recognized a few of them as Fancy Pants and a yet to be married Princess Cadence.

Celestia sat on her throne on the dais watching me with a neutral expression as I was directed towards an elevated podium at the end of the carpet. The guards chained my cuffs to the podium and scattered to take up positions throughout the throne room, leaving only two at my sides. To my right a few meters away stood Luna next to a large podium and across from her and to my left stood another pony on a similarly large podium. This new pony had to be the prosecutor and he stood at attention with his nose high in the air, not even acknowledging my presence with those purple eyes. His fur was dark blue and his long mane was the same color in a darker shade. He was clad in a pitch-black suit and purple tie that covered his barrel and just barely covered his butt tattoo. The mark was a simple set of golden scales covered in chains and he finally acknowledged my existence with a disinterested glance. I didn’t get to form an opinion of him as Celestia began the proceedings with a stomp of her hoof.

“The court is now in session for the trial of Miss Undyne. The prosecution and defense will now state their names for the record.”

“Princess Luna, representing the defendant your honor.”

“Binding Law, representing the ponies of Canterlot your honor,” his voice was soothing and punctuated clearly.

“Are you ready to begin?” Celestia said questioning both sides.

“We are,” They both said in perfect unison.

“Very well, is the defendant ready hear the charges levied against her?” Celestia asked me.

“Y-Yes, your honor,” I answered her nervously. Gone was the motherly princess that visited me in my cell and in her place stood a no nonsense leader.

“You may either plead guilty or not guilty to the following: On the charge of the destruction of private property. You are accused of razing Miss Chrono Piece’s place of business, ‘Tick Tock Measurements’, causing nearly 300,522 bits in property damages. How do you plead?” Celestia asked.

“Not guilty, your honor.” I answered.

Small murmurs from the crowd behind me voiced their disbelief. I could hear a few of the whispers.

“She denies what she’s done? What kind of monster is she?” One mare whispered aghast.

“What do expect from a creature who wear’s such appalling clothing?” Another mare answered.

I grinded my teeth in anger and tried to think of something else before I let that pony know what I thought of her own clothes.

“Very well, on the charge of the attempted murder of Miss Chrono Piece. How do you plead?” Celestia continued.

“Not guilty, your honor.” I answered again.

This caused a louder response from the crowd and Celestia stomped her hoof on her throne to silence them.

“This court shall keep silent throughout the rest of the session or it will be converted into a private hearing.” Celestia commanded.

“I’ll resume listing off the charges…” Celestia continued.

I pleaded guilty to the rest of the charges and I glanced back towards the crowd to see very confused faces. I think they expected me to plead not guilty to all the charges and I had to hide a smirk when I saw one stallion scratching his head in confusion.

“That concludes the charges levied against the defendant. The court shall now consider the arguments from both parties on the matter of Chrono Piece’s property and her attempted murder. At the end of each debate I will judge whether Miss Undyne is truly guilty of these crimes. Then, a hearing will take place to decide her final punishment when all her crimes are truly known. We will now discuss Miss Chrono Piece’s property damage. The prosecution may now call upon any witnesses and evidence.”

“Thank you your honor. The evidence explains itself, Miss Undyne was seen directly at the scene of the crime and it was confirmed by the royal guards that she was the purple object that fell on Chrono Piece’s establishment that day,” Binding Law stated.

“Objection! Your honor, my client doesn’t deny that she fell on the building in question. She does deny however, that she had any control over where she landed. This was an accident that nopony could have foreseen or prevented as my client was sent to our world without her consent by an unknown offender,” Luna interrupted.

“Sustained, very well, can the prosecution provide evidence to prove that the defendant caused Tick Tock Measurement’s destruction intentionally or through negligence?” Celestia asked.

“The prosecution calls upon Undyne herself to testify before the court.” Law said directing his eyes towards me.

I was unchained from my podium and brought to stand on a large silver disk on the floor in front of Celestia’s dais. I faced towards Luna and Law with my back to Celestia and tried to remember all that Luna and me discussed last night.

‘Just be calm and answer his questions. Control my emotions and remember every detail of what happened. Don’t lose sight of what happened, no matter how many times he may bend the truth.’

“Miss Undyne, explain to the court exactly how you came to our world. Please be detailed and try not to miss too many details. I know it must be difficult since that fall rattled your mind,” Law asked nonchalantly.

Luna seemed ready to object again but I stopped her with a subtle wave.

“Actually I’m in tip top shape. The royal physician himself Dr. Steady Hoof declared me of stable mind and body yesterday morning.” I said earning a smile from Luna.

I told my story to the court and mentioned every detail I could think of. I told them about the food at the convention, the outfits me and my brother were wearing, the vendor that sold me the spear, and what I looked like before all this happened. I voiced every detail.

“I was in a pitch black void after the flash of light. I felt like I was falling the entire time and I couldn’t accurately tell you how much time I spent in there. After what felt like forever, I felt pain all across my body. I could feel my hair and teeth falling out and being replaced. My skin burned and itched for so long that it felt like it would last forever. When it all thankfully ended, I had no time to see what was done to me when I saw another flash of light. After the light was cleared, I found myself falling towards Equestria and I thought I was about to meet my doom. Then a purple shade covered my vision before I could see where I was going to land and I blacked out. When I woke up I was in the clock shop, thankful just being alive.” I said finishing my testimony.

I gazed back at my audience and their mood seemed to undergo a massive shift. Fearful eyes were replaced with sympathetic ones, while the angry glares shifted into uncertainty. It seemed like I was gaining the crowd.

“That’s quite the story Miss Undyne, but I find it a little hard to believe.” Law said causing me to force down a sudden spike of anger.

“What’s so unbelievable about it?” I asked.

“You say that some unassuming merchant caused your departure from your world and yet there has been no evidence shown that another entity was involved when you arrived in our world. I propose another theory however; I say that you wanted to come here intentionally. Then when you came to our world you accidentally flew off course and destroyed Miss Chrono Piece’s establishment due to your own negligence.” Law finished.

“Objection! Your honor, the prosecution has no evidence to support this theory.” Luna said decrying Law’s assumption.

“Neither does the defendant your honor. What is certain however, is exactly what I said in the beginning. Miss Undyne was the object that destroyed Chrono Piece’s shop that day. Therefore, since no other being can be made accountable for her crash, she must be held responsible,” Law argued.

“Objection overruled, the prosecution is correct, unless evidence is brought forth to prove that another entity was involved, Undyne must be held responsible for damages.” Celestia said in finality.

‘Oh come ooooon!’

“The defense does have evidence to offer the court your honor. The defense calls upon guard captain Shining Armor to provide evidence of a third party," Luna said.

“Objection! The prosecution was not made aware of such evidence before the trial your honor,” Law said outraged.

“There is evidence that has yet to be confirmed your honor, and I would like to rectify that. The good captain was involved in the investigation and he would know exactly what kind of magic was left in the shop when the defendant crashed. I would like to see if Undyne’s magic signature matches the magic left at the sight,” Luna specified.

“Objection overruled, very well, the guards will bring Shining Armor in to clarify this at once,” Celestia ordered.

After a few minutes Shining Armor replaced me on the silver circle and I was returned to my podium. Luna began her questioning.

“Captain Armor you have been trained like many other royal guards to identify and track magical signatures and what kind of spells they once formed, correct?”

“That is correct,” He answered.

“As I understand it, you personally examined the magic left behind in the store in question. Can you describe the type of spell it once formed?”

“I can, it was a powerful protection spell. The spell was formed to absorb kinetic force and I know this to be true because I excel in such spells,” He said confidently.

“Would you be able to tell if the magic used to form the spell was from Undyne’s own magic?”

“I would but I would need your honor’s permission to approach the suspect and inspect her magic.”

“Permission granted,” Celestia fired away.

Shining Armor approached my podium with a glowing horn and I felt an odd tickling sensation all across my body. I couldn’t resist giggling and Shining Armor raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, I’m literally made of magic, so technically I guess you could say that you're feeling me up right now,” I said before I fell into a fit of giggles.

The intense blush on his face added more to my fun and I sighed in relief when he finally finished. He returned to the silver circle and stated his findings.

“After (cough) examining the suspect, I can confidently say that the magic used to create the protection spell did not come from her.”

“There you have it; a third party WAS involved in Undyne’s arrival here in Equestria. Therefore, I move to remove these charges due to the lack of investigation in this other party that could be directly responsible for the destruction of Tick Tock Measurements,” Luna demanded.

“Does the prosecution have a rebuttal?” Celestia asked.

Binding Law seemed deep in thought for a few seconds before answering.

“No your honor, the prosecution rests”

“Then I have come to a conclusion. Due this new evidence being brought before the court, I hereby absolve Miss Undyne of the responsibility of destroying Tick Tock Measurements,” Celestia said to my immense satisfaction.

“Now Miss Undyne, you are now being accused of attempted murder by the owner of Tick Tock Measurements, Chrono Piece. The prosecution may now call upon any witnesses and evidence,” Celestia continued.

I just barely caught Law doing an eyeroll before he answered the princess.

“The prosecution calls upon the victim herself, Chrono Piece.”

A familiar raven maned and green coated mare entered the throne room from a side door and stood on the silver disk. Her eyes glared at me with pure hate and I could see she was just itching to let me know what she thinks of me.

“Chrono Piece, can you testify to the court exactly what happened to you that day after Miss Undyne crashed into your shop?” Law asked.

“Gladly, I’ll tell you exactly what happened. When that thing destroyed my shop…” Chrono went on until Luna stopped her in her tracks.

“Objection! Unnecessary insults towards the defendant and we’ve already dropped the destruction charge against her not just a few minutes ago.”

“Sustained, Chrono Piece, you will cease calling the accused insults and recognize that the charges for destroying your shop have been dropped,” Celestia ordered her sternly.

“Y-Yes your honor,” She said bowing towards Celestia before she continued.

I saw Binding Law silently banging his head against the podium.

“When Undyne…crashed… into my store, I was immediately fearful for my life. When she rose up and screamed for joy I whimpered, unintentionally drawing attention to myself. She turned to me and stared at me with a hungry eye. She asked if I was a pony, and I saw her drag her tongue across those horrible jagged teeth of hers’. Fearing for my life, I ran outside and heard her chasing after me. I felt jagged claws rake across my left back leg and I thanked the universe that I managed to get outside before she could grab me. I called for the guards and left for the hospital to get my wounds treated. Here are the cuts she left on me,” She finished showing Celestia and the court two long gashes visibly stitched together on her left back leg.

“Does the prosecution have any questions?” Celestia asked.

Binding Law ceased his banging to address her with a bored look.

“No your honor.”

“Then the defense may cross-examine the testimony,” Celestia said turning her attention towards Luna.

‘How did this mare even get this into court? How could my blunt nails leave gashes that long? How did she even get them?’

“Chrono Piece, you say my client raked her claws against your leg correct?” Luna asked her.

“Yes, did you not see the marks?” she asked

“Oh I did, so you say they were these claws huh. Undyne show the court your hands please,” Luna asked me.

I raised my chained hands in the air for all to see and what they saw were pitifully dull fingernails.

“Maybe those ‘claws’ might leave a tiny scrape, but they barely seem capable of breaking skin. Let alone the gashes you have on your leg.” Luna condescended.

“It, it, it was her teeth! She must have tried to grab me with her mouth then,” Chrono defended.

“So it’s her teeth then. Wow, how could you miss that tiny little detail?” Luna asked.

“I was scared okay! Something must have cut my legs, so who else could have done it but her?” Chrono said with her confidence shaking.

Luna pulled out a folder with Chrono’s name on it as she responded

“Actually, I can explain it with this report your doctor wrote up after she finished stitching your leg. It seems like your wound was traced with wooden splinters she removed as she stitched your leg. Before she could report this to you, you had already filed your release papers and were out the door to tell the press how my client tried to eat you.”

Luna let her statement fill the air and Chrono Piece stared at her wound in disbelief.

“Now I have one final question. With all the broken wood from your clocks and rooftop scattered across your store, do you think it’s at least possible that you accidentally scraped your leg against the debris in your haste to escape my client?” Luna asked her.

Chrono Piece stared at me again. Gone were her enraged eyes and instead replaced by confusion. She sighed as she stared down at the floor in shame.

“It’s possible, yes,” she answered.

“No further questions, your honor,” Luna told her sister.

“Does the prosecution wish to present anything else before the court?” Celestia asked.

“No your honor,” Law said dejectedly.

Chrono Piece was escorted out of the room with tears in her eyes.

“You may now present any closing statements before I come to a decision,” Celestia stated to both of them.

“I have none your honor,” Law said turning towards Luna to give her the floor.

Luna left her podium and stood before her sister and the rest of the court, confidence revealed all across her appearance.

“Your honor, ponies of Canterlot, today before your eyes stand’s a creature torn from everything she knew and landed in the worst circumstances possible. She didn’t choose to come here and had to endure untold amounts of pain before she arrived. Like anypony else, she was afraid. Like anypony else, she made mistakes in response to that fear. Like few other ponies, she can admit her mistakes. Undyne is not this ‘Terror of Canterlot’ the Press has made her out to be. She is a sentient being like anypony else, and like anypony else, she needs help when she’s at her lowest.”

Luna retook her place at her podium and Celestia cleared her throat to give the final verdict.

“Given the lack of confidence in the accuser’s testimony on the charges that Undyne attempted to take her life. I hereby proclaim Undyne as Not Guilty.”

……

Me and Luna sat inside her private quarters after the trial had ended, waiting for our lunch to arrive. She insisted that we don’t celebrate yet until an agreement was made on the punishment for the crimes I was still admittedly guilty of. But it didn’t stop me from hugging the life out of her.

“You-, ahh, really are quite strong (cough) aren’t you!” Luna wheezed under my intense bear hug.

I let her go and started praising how awesome she was in there. This was the first time in days where I felt like my freedom wasn’t going to be taken from me and I actually started to think of plans to find my brother. After I served whatever punishment Celestia deemed fit, I planned to find my brother and go sightseeing before we looked for a way to get home. There were so many things possible to me now that I realized I can explore a cartoon world and experience what it was like to have magic powers. When I told Luna how awesome her closing speech was, I remembered something from the show that caused me to lose my excitement.

“You know Luna you were on the ball when you said that, like anypony else, I needed help when I was at my lowest.” I said to her.

“But of course, it was the truth after all,” She said matter of factly.

“So you know that you probably need help yourself then?” I asked her.

She started at me with confusion

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“You know I watched a show about your world right? In that show, I saw an episode that showed that you had been torturing yourself with a Tantabus over the guilt you still felt for being Nightmare Moon,” I said bringing myself to a knee to look at her evenly in the eye.

She covered herself protectively with her wings and looked away from me with a guilt ridden face. I gently grasped her head and nudged her to look at me again to see my sympathetic face. She seemed on the verge of tears.

“I deserve to never have a good night’s sleep. I deserve my punishment after I ensured so many restless and fearful nights all those years ago. Why should I get good night’s sleep after I caused so many horrible nightmares for so many ponies?” She asked me.

My brother would do this to himself too. He would constantly belittle himself after each time he failed over the smallest things. It was up to me almost every time to tell him how stupid it was and how unproductive he was being. He was never bettering himself whenever he called himself a loser or a failure of a son. Luckily he had broken out his habit by college, but it was only after me and my parents got him to see how much of a good person he was, and how smart he could be.

“Listen, you are doing nothing but hurting yourself by doing this. You aren’t making up for your mistakes by allowing some monster cause you senseless misery. You and I both know you messed up bad. But if you don’t tell yourself that you’re a good pony that’s doing good work to make up for it, then listen to me instead. You just defended me in front of all those ponies out there. You lent a helping hoof to someone who has done nothing but cause trouble since she got here. You’ve owned up to what you’ve done already, so please stop torturing yourself before you break from all this pressure I know your building up on yourself. I already consider you a good friend Luna, even though we practically just met.”

“I don’t expect you to just forgive yourself over one conversation with me. So I beg you, talk with someone who loves you deeply. Talk with your sister and tell her how you still feel all this guilt. She’s your family, and family needs to know a part of it is still hurting. Maybe then, you’ll know how much of a good pony you really are and move on,” I finished putting my heart and soul in my words.

I saw the faintest hints of a smile on her lips and I moved in to give her one more hug.

“Okay…,okay, I will,” She answered.

Log entry #1

This is the second day since I’ve arrived on this world, and I’ve already managed to rescue a princess, discovered I have the Force, and I found a spaceship. My life has completely and utterly changed. The pros so far have outweighed the cons, and I hope it stays that way. I write this journal in case something happens to me, so my sister or anyone else can know where I’ve been and what I’ve done. I also write this journal to record my findings as I learn more about the Force and the power it has offered me.

My journey began when I literally crash landed on the Heartland Isle of the Shattered Isles. After wandering aimlessly in the search for food and civilization I came across a griffin known as Princess Falca. She was in dire need of help after a beast known as an Aper Major threatened to end her life. I slew the beast and was taken to the crown city of her kingdom, Horaca. After tending to her injuries sustained by the beast, Princess Falca’s sister, Princess Takada, took me to my ship model turned spaceship. After I pulled it out of the ground with the Force, we flew it back to Horaca and landed it in the largest landing area available. The outsized landing strip outside the city’s castle just barely had enough space for me to land the ship.

After I settled everything with Princess Takada, she left me with a servant to take me to some guest quarters fit for minotaur’s. She said we would discuss what I plan to do in the future and recommended that I get plenty of sleep. Halfway before we even got in the castle, I ordered the servant to take me to Princess Falca. He was reluctant, but I told him that I was her friend and that I wanted to check in on her before I turned in. He relented, and I returned to the emergency room to find Falca conversing with another griffin. He was half lion and half falcon like Falca, with practically the same plumage. Except he was way smaller in stature and even had a smaller beak, making me wonder if he was even fully grown yet. Princess Falca introduced him as her little brother Prince Hyde.

I like him. He’s an academic apparently, and he is seemingly what griffins consider a mage in their part of the world. While griffins can apparently use magic the same way pegasi from the show can, some griffins dedicated their lifes to the study of the arcane arts in order create spells through alchemy and enchantments. Prince Hyde was very interested in me and I was glad to impart as much knowledge I could about me, my people, and my power over the Force. Princess Falca was interested in what I said as well, but not nearly as much as Hyde was as he wrote down everything I said.

He was very interested in my use of the Force, and after I showed him a few tricks with my telekinesis I could tell instantly that I was going to be his new pet project. Performing telekinesis without a horn set him ablaze with questions and I told him I would explain to him more of my powers after I fully understood them myself. Princess Falca took back control over the conversation and told me one of the reasons Prince Hyde was here. Of course he came to check up on his sister, but Princess Falca wanted to consult him on any possible way of giving me back my original face. Apparently, there was a potion that could return me to my original visage and I got really interested.

Prince Hyde said he would consult with his fellow academics, but he said he should have a potion ready for me as early as tomorrow. He left to prepare it as I thanked him for his help and I couldn’t wait to see my old face again. I was touched that Princess Falca would take the time to consider something like this for me and I let her know my gratitude. She waved it off insisting that she had much more to do in order to pay off the debt she felt she owed me.

I argued with her, telling her that just finding my sister was enough, but she kept insisting that she wouldn’t stop until I was the happiest alien in the world. We talked a bit more about me and the world I came from and I began to notice something odd. Compared to the other griffins I’ve seen, griffins like Princess Falca and her siblings seemed ‘stronger’, for lack of a better word. I could sense their strength, and I voiced this little oddity to the princess. She explained that her family has always had strong magic ties in their blood, and it was actually one of the reasons Prince Hyde had pursued knowledge of magic and academia instead of the throne. I filed this knowledge away for later consideration.

It was getting really late and I left Princess Falca in the emergency room to get some sleep myself. The room I was given was nice and I finally got the chance to take this armor off and see what I now look like.

Three words.

I. am. ripped.

I had to be at least above two meters in height and my body looked like it was sculpted to form a Greek demigod. Another pro to add to this whole crazy turn of events.

I had new friends, a great new body, and power. I’m talking about power, REAL power, not some abstract concept of control over others, I mean tangible power over a universal force. I have taken control over the body of a powerful Sith Lord that is no longer constrained by level caps and game balancing mechanics. I have the body of Lord Wrath, and I can’t wait to delve into the powers of the Force and see what limits I can set and break.

5) Pureblooded

Screaming sounded off in the darkness.

‘Someone’s hurt, I can hear it, I can… feel it. There are other people here too, they’re afraid of something. Afraid of… the screaming?’

I couldn’t see anyone, yet I knew they were there. Male and female voices were calling out to someone, yet their voices were distorted and uninterpretable. My body was nonresponsive to my commands and I just sat there in the darkness on the verge of panic. I tried to calm down and gather my memories, but the awful screaming disrupted any train of thought. Finally something happened after a minute and bright light blinded my sight. As soon as my eyes adjusted I saw pieces of broken glass scattered over a floor. I gazed into one of the glass pieces and saw only one discernible feature in the reflection.

The color red.

……

I bolted straight up on my bed when I heard a knock on the door. Sweat clung to my body as I sat there trying to calm down from the nightmare. I took slow deep breaths and tried to wipe the sweat off my body with the bedsheets. As soon as my heart rate settled back to normal, I tried to figure out what happened in my dream and dreaded what it could mean.

‘The last time I had a dream, it came true. I dreamt that a griffin and a monstrous beast would meet each other in combat. Was this dream like that one? A vision of the future offered by the Force as a way of warning? If it was, it sure was cryptic.’

Another knock on the door reminded me that I needed to answer it, so I got up and stretched my naked body. I decided to sleep in the nude cause there was no way I was going to sleep in a full set of armor. The armor in question was laid out on a guest table in the far corner of the room after I took nearly a half an hour last night trying to take it off. It was difficult but worth it in the end when I got to finally see all of my new body and boost my ego in the process. The tusks from the Aper Major sat leaning against the table as well, the morning sunlight shining off the smooth ivory.

The room I was given was the ambassador suite to minotaur guests of the royal family and it satisfied all my needs. A spacious bathroom, an excellent view of the city, and an assortment of comfy furniture with fluffy pillows on each one. I tried to tell Princess Takada that I could just sleep on the ship, but she insisted that I stay in the castle because I was considered a guest of the royal family now, instead of an illegal trespasser. Although, I suspected that she wanted to keep me away from the ship in case I just up and decided to take off with it and leave the island. I felt like the room was too much for just me, but all my concerns were thrown away when I laid down and simply melted on the luxurious bed.

When I finished my stretches, I moved to the guest table and put on the boxers I had underneath the armor. It was the only article of clothing I had that didn’t take more than five minutes to put on, and moved to answer the door. I opened it to find HK-55 with his mechanical hand raised, just about to knock on the door again. HK followed me back to my room last night, insisting that I have a bodyguard at all times in this foreign environment. 2V-R8 and my varactyl stayed on the ship thankfully, waiting for my return. HK put his hand down and started to explain his interruption.

“Greeting: Good morning master, apologies for waking you, but some of the feathered meatbags are asking for an audience.”

“Who are they?” I asked

“Answer: The leader of the group calls himself Boreus, and he says that he and his companions have brought you a large selection of foods for your breakfast this morning.”

My belly rumbled as I remembered that I haven’t given it proper nourishment for over two days. I managed to ward off my hunger with the Force, but nothing would satisfy my body more than actual food. I grinned and told HK to allow them in and I sat down on a plush couch with a coffee table in front of it, waiting for my guests. Five griffins in black and white server outfits pushed in a line of carts filled with food and my mouth watered at the sight. Every cart had a full array of foods from one specific food group each. Grain, vegetable, fruit, protein, and dairy products of all kinds were laid out before me.

Each griffin stared at me with curious eyes, awed to finally see the alien that had fallen on their lands. Even Boreus stopped to stare, now seeing me without my armor on. Most people would be embarrassed to be seen nearly naked in front of so many people, but I wasn’t ashamed of my body even before its drastic change. In fact, now that my body was so well defined with lean muscle, my vanity demanded that I show off my body every chance I get from now on.

‘It’s sad I won’t be able to show it off to any girls back home,’ I thought gloomily.

Boreus was at the head of the line of food and cleared his throat to bring everyone at attention before speaking to me.

“Good morning sir, the kitchen staff and I have worked up a large selection of food for your personal choosing. It is our hope that you’ll satisfy your hunger and provide input for what you would like for future meals. Given our lack of knowledge on your species’ diet, we have prepared food from every known food group. We beg your forgiveness however, if none of it is to your liking,” he said with a bow along with the rest of the serving staff.

I got up from the couch to get a closer look and smell all the delectable foods. I found bagels, sweet potatoes, grapes, even slabs of steak amongst the carts of food. My smile could not have been wider. With the Force, I levitated a dozen plates from one of the carts and returned to my couch with a random assortment of food on each plate. I set them on the coffee table and tried one of the bagels, moaning in pleasure from the taste. I caught sight of a pitcher of milk and levitated it over along with a glass to pour the contents into. After a quick sip, I addressed Boreus and the server staff to thank them.

“This is all perfect, thank you so much. My species are omnivorous, so I can eat all these foods with no problem at all. If I had to give you my preferred foods, it would rank first as pasta for grains, meat of any kind is fine for protein, corn for veggies, and apples for fruits. Ahhh, this is so good,” I said while trying a baked potato.

This got me a few smiles from the serving staff and Boreus addressed me once again.

“Her highness Princess Falca has also requested your presence in the medical quarter after you have finished your meal. She said that the item requested shall arrive soon, but insists that there is no rush whatsoever. When you’re done, the staff will take care of what’s left and I shall personally guide you to the medical quarter. We will wait outside to allow you to eat in private until you have need of us,” Boreus finished as he waved off the castle staff with his wing and headed towards the door.

HK saw them out and closed the door to leave me to my privacy. After nearly two days without it, food of any kind was like ambrosia to my mouth. After nearly half an hour I had gulfed down nearly half of what I picked up from the carts and patted my belly in content. I got up and moved towards my armor to prepare for my meeting with the princess and stopped halfway to look at myself in the vanity dresser mirror. It started to hit me that I really wanted to keep my body the way it is and I decided I would try and form an exercise routine during my stay here. Back home I was so busy with school work, friends, and my other hobbies to even put in the effort to make my body stronger like my sister did. I exercised now and again to keep thin and keep my cardio in check. Now though, I’ve been given my dream body without even putting in the effort and I’ll only keep it unless I take steps to make it that way.

‘That means I can’t eat to my heart’s content anymore,’ I thought disappointingly as I looked towards the cart full of food.

I shrugged it off as a minor sacrifice given how the body I saw in the mirror would be my reward. I moved to the table holding my armor and began the grueling process to put it back on. It took less time however, since I learned how to move around all the new features from last night. What were once pieces of styrofoam and plastic are now pieces of metal plating and life support systems. Beyond the physical material of the armor and robes, I could sense an intense concentration of the Force lined within its confines and I could feel it amplify my power as I put it on. By the time I finished, the armor hugged my body snugly and hardly impeded any of my movements despite the extra bulk it gave me. I latched both my helmet and lightsaber to opposite ends of my belt and moved to exit the room.

HK and the other griffins stood at attention outside and I felt kind of guilty for making them wait on me for nearly an hour. It was their job though, and as soon as I told them that the food was to my satisfaction the serving staff moved into my room to take the food carts away. I told Boreus to take me to Princess Falca and he led me and HK down a corridor lit with the morning sunlight and glowing blue stones on the wall. To pass the time, I asked Boreus why the glowing stones were lit in different colors in other parts of the castle and he said it was a means to help guests and staff find their way about the castle. He told me that green stones represented the medical quarter, blue stones represented guest quarters, purple stones represented the royal quarters, red represented the armory and guard barracks, gold for the kitchens, and white represented the public areas such as the galleries and the throne room. In the four towers surrounding the main citadel however, it was an entirely different story. Lights and furniture within each tower were the same color from each respective tower’s rooftop. Each tower represented an isle surrounding the Heartland Isle and Boreus gave me a general description of each.

The tower with the golden rooftop represented the Summer Island, it was the second largest of all the isles and it mostly tended to the Shattered Isles agricultural needs. Princess Falca helped her uncle rule the island and it was where she started her political career after she left the military. Boreus spoke of the princess with such pride I could tell that he relished his job as her butler. He went on to tell me about all the different types of food that were grown on the isle and told me how different sections of the island were separated into different environments and weather patterns through weather control and other types of magic. On one last interesting note, Boreus told me how the Summer Island acts as home for some of the best winemakers in the world. What was really interesting though, was that Princess Falca owned one of the wine vineyards and made her home there most of the time instead of here at the castle.

The tower with the white rooftop represented the isle that held most of House Hialla’s military. The Preserver Island was a desert island filled mostly with sand, sparse foliage, and open spaces. It served as the perfect spot to train recruits safely as griffins came seeking glory, adventure, or just wanted to protect their people. It housed the majority of military naval vessels and it contained plenty of military aircraft as well. The island was the last line of defense between the rest of the Shattered Isles and whatever foe may come close to its borders.

The tower with the red rooftop represented the Island of Gaiety, where griffins and members of other races all come to enjoy all forms of entertainment. Restaurants, parks, saunas, theaters, even pleasure houses could be found all over the island. The main attraction however was the Titan Arena that housed thousands of guests daily. It was there that warriors of any kind of discipline can test their might and display it for all the world to see. Patrons can gamble their money on the fights as they enjoyed hefty amounts of food and alcohol. I made a mental note to visit this island as soon as possible.

The fourth and final tower had a royal blue rooftop and it represented the smallest of the isles. The Nether Island was a focal point of powerful magic and it was here the College of Mystics made its home. It was proudly one of the few institutions that taught magic to other races besides unicorns. Its students primarily focused on alternative means to use magic and its mages have acted as consultants to House Hialla on every issue regarding magic. Its greatest contributions to the kingdom have been in the creation of magical commercial goods such as the glowing stones and many other inventions I have yet to see. This was undoubtedly where Prince Hyde spent most of his time.

“Each tower houses minor nobility members of House Hialla who represent their respective island and actively work with the royal family on matters of state,” Boreus told me at the end of his explanation.

“So what does the Heartland Isle provide for the kingdom besides house the crown city?” I asked.

“The Heartland Isle has a little bit of everything, although its major qualities is that it houses the majority of our kingdoms population and its acts as the center of commercial trade in the kingdom as well. Our best universities can be found here for matters of general education and its main flight school has branches throughout the isles and the colonies on the mainland.” He answered.

The mention of the colonies caused another question to seep into my head.

“So what about the colonies? Why don’t they get a tower here at the castle?” I asked

“Ah yes, the colonies on the mainland receive an enclave in Horaca where they may come up to the castle and discuss matters with the king as well. Most of the colonies act as trade hubs between the Shattered Isles and the mainland, so we keep their nobility within the city itself where matters of trade occur the most.”

‘It makes sense I guess, but I know some human cultures that would have plenty of issues if a part of its population didn’t have a representative tower along with the rest of the kingdom. However, griffins aren’t humans, if it works for them then who am I to judge?’

As we got closer to the medial quarter I asked Boreus if there were any other royal family members I haven’t been made aware of yet. I told him I already met Prince Hyde and Princess Takada yesterday, and he told me that besides the king, I had yet to meet the second eldest of the royal siblings. The vulture-like griffin told me that Prince Thistle spent most of his time on the Island of Gaiety. I asked him what he was like, and Boreus paused for a few moments before saying that I would better understand who he was if I met him myself. Throughout the whole conversation Boreus had neglected to mention a queen yet. I was about to ask about Princess Falca’s mother but we had just arrived at the emergency room and Boreus opened the doors to allow me thru and stayed outside along with HK.

Both Prince Hyde and Princess Falca were discussing something but stopped to see who was at the door. When the prince saw me I saw his eyes widen and he left his sister’s side to bolt over to me. Using his wings he floated in the air to keep himself at eye level with me and spoke in an excited tone with a glint in his eyes.

“Great new, great news! The potion was easier to make than I thought. My friends in the alchemical department had no problems, no problems at all. Oh, this is so exciting! Testing magic on an extraequestrial lifeform. Granted it’s not a powerful potion, but the chance to see how magic reacts to your biological systems is so exciting. Did I already say this was exciting?”

“Hyde calm down, you’re getting yourself too wound up again. Sorry Jack, this an opportunity of a lifetime for him,” Princess Falca apologized trying to explain her brother’s behavior.

I waved it off, I completely understood how Prince Hyde was feeling right now. I myself couldn’t wait for things to settle down so I could practice my new mystical abilities for a day or two.

“Its fine I understand, so before we go through any of this I need to know if this potion is safe or not. I’m not putting anything in my body until I know exactly what the potion is made of and how it’s going to give me my face back. So your highness, how’s this going to work?” I asked.

Prince Hyde gradually took in a deep breath and slowly hovered to the ground as he exhaled. He only came up to my thighs on all fours and I couldn’t help but compare him to his sisters again. I knew he was their brother by the falcon and lion portions of his body, but he was such a runt when I compared him to them. I didn’t want to assume his age, but if he was attending a prestigious griffin college, then he must be reaching some form of maturity by now. Prince Hyde reigned in his excitement and explained the potion to me with a hint of enthusiasm.

“The liquid gel in the potion is hydrophobic and keeps the potion’s potentially dangerous contents from interacting with your system. However, it does not keep its magical properties from seeping into your body. Once the potion has gone through your system and the magical properties are absorbed, the potion’s contents will simply be a part of your next urinary cycle. This potion isn’t so much a polymorphing concoction as it is a magical reversal remedy. It was created to reverse any spell that may be placed specifically around your facial area. If it works we should see a harmless bodily reversal around your head, if not, then nothing will happen and we may need to get creative and try other means to regain your previous visage. Either way, this will be a fascinating experiment nonetheless,” Prince Hyde explained.

Princess Falca chimed in as well.

“And if anything does go wrong, then we’re in an emergency room with plenty of medical personnel on standby. But if you’re still unsure about this, then it’s more than alright to refuse the potion Jack.”

I had given this some serious thought last night and I came to a conclusion before I fell asleep. While this new face was handsome and all, it still wasn’t my face. My eyes were different, my cheek bones were different, but I knew they weren’t what defined me and who I was. Instead, if I ever get back home, I want my original face to be the one seen when I return to my family. They deserve a chance to see their son’s face again, not a total stranger’s. However, if this potion fails then that’s it, I don’t want to waste these griffin’s time and energy on something that isn’t an easy fix. Instead I want to focus on finding my sister, find a way home, and master these new powers as I explore this new world.

I gave them my answer.

“Okay, I want to try the potion, but if it doesn’t work then that’s it. I’ll live with my new face and get on with my life. Sorry your highness, but experimenting on face reversal is going to be a one-time thing for me. I’m sure we can find other things to experiment on me though,” I told Prince Hyde.

“Its fine, I already have seven other experiments I would like to discuss with you later. Now then, let’s get started shall we?” Prince Hyde said with a shrug.

Prince Hyde directed me to one of the beds to lay down. I shifted around a bit in my armor to get comfortable and Prince Hyde took out a glass vial from a satchel next to Princess Falca’s bed. He moved next to me and pulled off the potion vial’s cork before he gave me a warning.

“I won’t lie to you, I’ve drank several other potions in the past to know that these things taste awful, so prepare yourself. Also, remember that you have to drink every drop. It should take a few minutes for the magic to take effect. Do you understand everything I’ve told you?”

I nodded and he handed me the potion. I braced myself and swallowed the horribly bitter potion. I managed to keep myself from vomiting, and after a minute nothing happened. After a few more minutes I noticed a slight glow in my peripheral vision and Prince Hyde happily told me that the magic was taking effect. The glow started to get more intense until light covered my vision as well. As soon as the light began subside, I saw Prince Hyde staring at me in awe with a small mirror in hand. I was about to ask him for the mirror until the light began to intensify again. This time however, a burning pain began to stretch across my face.

It started fast and unexpected, as every part of my face began to hurt at once. It was unbearable and I was about to ask the Prince what was happening until I felt pain beginning to stretch all across my body like it did in the void. It was horrible, it felt like my skin was melting and I clawed at my hair to feel it fall off with practically no resistance. I saw a large wad of my hair sitting in my hand and that was when I began to scream.

I jerked and contorted in pain as my very bones began to grow unnaturally and I fell off the bed to hit the ground still screaming bloody murder. I unsteadily stood up to see a very scared prince drop the mirror and shatter on the stone floor. I limped closer to him and begged him to stop the pain.

“IT HURTS! IT HURTS! PLEASE AAAAAAAAHHHHHH, MAKE IT STOP!!!”

He backed away afraid and soon I couldn’t see anything at all as light blinded me and I felt my eyes catch on fire. I quit limping to fall on my knees and just simply sat there howling in pain. I felt the Force roll off of me in waves and I could do nothing to stop it. The Force echoed from my screams and I desperately wished for the pain to end. Loud crashes and other uninterpretable screams sounded off between my howls but I was too far gone to care.

……

When the pain finally ended I opened my eyes to see glass shards scattered over the floor. I stayed on my knees for a minute breathing deeply trying to calm myself and keep my body from shaking. Once I got a hold of myself, I grasped one of the glass shards with a clawed gauntlet and slowly brought it up to look at my face. As soon as I saw the color red I dropped the shard as I realized that another vision had come true. I looked around the emergency room to see flipped over beds, shattered windows, and crushed medical equipment scattered everywhere. I panicked when I saw Princess Falca’s bed turned over as well and adrenaline flowed through my system as I got up and searched for her. She wasn’t far from the bed and I walked over to find her lying down nursing her wing until her head shot up to look at me. Surprise and a hint of fear stretched across her face and she tried to get up on her three good legs to try and meet me halfway.

“Jack… your face, are you alright?” She asked me worried.

“I think so, the pain’s gone now. Like it never even happened at all. What happened? Where’s Prince Hyde?” I responded.

Panic gripped her face and her eyes searched the room to find her little brother. She called out to him and I heard a whimper from underneath another bed. Prince Hyde crawled out looking relatively unhurt and I heard the princess sigh in relief. The prince stared at me in confusion and sadness and his beak flopped up and down trying to form words.

“I don’t understand… it was going so well. The potion could never have done that, wha… why?” He said trailing off into a series of uninterpretable mumbles.

I just now heard the banging from the door and after a few more harsh pushes the wooden door covered in debris was pushed open by my assassin droid to reveal Boreus and a group of guards and medical personnel. The guards gawked at me fearfully and pointed their weapons at me while barking orders for me to get on the ground. HK got in front of them and pointed his rife at them in warning. Not wanting to fight, I told HK to stand down and slowly started to raise my hands above my head until the princess barked at them.

“Ancestor’s sake, stand down! Stop pointing your weapons at him! He’s been through enough. Hyde, what happened, why did this happen?”

The prince was still staring at me with his beak wide open and he didn’t appear to hear his sister. The princess limped over to him carefully favoring her gel covered hind leg, and shook his shoulder to snap him out of it.

“Hyde! Get a hold of yourself, do you have any idea how this could’ve happened? Why did he have such a severe reaction to the potion?”

The prince stopped to look at his sister then looked back up to me again trying to find the words.

“The potion was doing its job, it was reversing whatever caused his face to transform. Nothing like that should have happened… unless… if the spell that transformed him reacted to the potion. Jack, whatever spell caused you to transform, it’s still a part of your body,” He told me.

As I tried to process everything that happened, the med griffins flipped a bed back over and tried to get Princess Falca back into bed. Hyde and a few others continued to stare at my face and I got fed up not knowing what they were staring at and tried to look for a better mirror.

“Can someone help me find another mirror,” I asked.

They all broke out of their stares and tried to help me. One of the med griffins tugged at the robe portion of my armor and she offered me some sort of makeup kit she had tucked away in her lab coat. I opened the kit to find a small mirror and I stared at my deep red face and my new batch of hair.

I had the face of a sith pureblood. The original Sith, the species that practically had a symbiotic relationship with the Dark Side and terrorized the Star Wars galaxy for centuries. My beard was gone and had been replaced by bone spurs that jutted out from my chin and across my jaw. My finger traced the firm bone around my eyebrow and I slowly felt it all the way down to my cheek. I checked my mouth and I found some ferociously pointed teeth. My golden eyes practically remained the same from my previous form and I remembered where I last saw this face. It was the original face of my sith warrior character before I changed him into a human.

‘Instead of giving me back my original face, the potion changed me into my character’s original species when I first played as him,’ I thought trying to make sense of all this.

I gave the med griffin her kit back and I tried to take off my left gauntlet to see the extent of my transformation. My hand was deep red as well and my nails were replaced with small black claws that looked like they were designed to focus on latching and holding on to prey. I rubbed my toes against my boots to feel slightly elongated claws as well and I put my gauntlet back on. The knowledge that I wasn’t even human anymore began to wear on my mental state and I walked over to the wall to lean on it and steady myself before I keeled over from the shock. I constantly repeated a mantra in my head to try and reassure myself.

‘I was raised by loving human parents and my mind is still my own.’

‘I. AM. JACK KRIEGER.’

Once I reminded myself that my species didn’t define who I was, I noticed that some of the med staff hesitantly tried to approach me. The female that handed me her makeup kit got closer and spoke up.

“Sir, you’ve just been through a traumatic experience, you need to rest. Please lie down,” she said as she pointed to a bed that was turned upright for me.

“Statement: Master, I agree with the feathered meatbag, your processors must be overheating from your total organic overhaul,” HK said in agreement.

I nodded in agreement and moved to lie down but stopped halfway when I heard marching down the hallway outside. I sensed a familiar presence and it was made clear who it was when I saw Princess Takada march through the open door with more castle guards. At first she didn’t recognize me, but when she recognized my armor she knew who I was. Her face was ablaze with anger, and she roared her question throughout the room.

“WHAT IN TARTARUS HAPPENED IN HERE?!”

Her eyes roamed across the devastated room looking for answers until it stopped on Prince Hyde.

“What’s your worthless tail doing here?” Takada asked her brother.

The little prince averted his eyes from his sister and he tried to explain what happened.

“I-I was trying to…to… help our new visitor. He went thru a polymorphing of some kind before coming here and I tried to, I mean, I and my colleagues, made a simple magical reversal remedy to reverse whatever magic was used on him. We wanted to try and at least get him his face back. His body reacted violently to the potion, and uh… he couldn’t control his powers as his body was transformed and it caused- “

“So you’re to blame for this,” Takada interrupted.

“I... I…,” Hyde said at a loss for words.

“Leave him alone Takada. He came to check on me last night and I was the one to ask him if a remedy could be made. This is my fault,” Falca said trying to defend her little brother.

“Be quiet Falca, you’re already in enough trouble as it is, you don’t need to defend him for his failures,” Takada said dismissing her sister.

“Don’t brush me off, I was the one who suggested the potion and I’m responsible for causing Jack so much pain. So don’t you dare try and pin this all on our little brother,” Falca argued as the med team tried to keep her from leaping off the bed.

“Fine then, so not only did you disgrace our House by getting your tail kicked by the very creature that represents our family crest. You also physically deformed the first alien guest to our world as well! By the ancestors Falca, do you plan to bury our House in shame?” Takada asked her sister.

The two sisters had a yelling match where neither side of the argument could be interpreted. I tried to think of a way to diffuse the argument but my mind couldn’t come up with anything in the heat of the moment. As the argument went on I felt another presence coming towards the emergency room through the Force. This presence was similar in strength to the three siblings in the room and as soon as it got closer I saw another griffin enter the room. He was as big as Takada, and he had the same lion and falcon features as well. His plumage was a dazzling golden color that blended well with his lion pelt and his eyes had a fierce steely iris color that demanded obedience. He wore a bronze colored chestplate with a purple scarf hanging around his neck. He took one look at the arguing siblings and let loose an earthshaking lion’s roar.

All the guards and the med staff ceased what they were doing and bowed to him while the three siblings stood at attention and bowed their heads a little. HK and I stood awkwardly amongst the prostrating griffins and were unsure of what to do. The newcomer stared at us for a few moments with analyzing eyes before he returned his attention to the royal siblings. He spoke in a lecturing tone with a deep baritone voice.

“After an urgent emergency meeting took me away from my Isles, I left my kingdom in the claws of my very own cubs. When the meeting was over I and my guard flew overnight when word reached me that an alien visitor was what had fallen on my lands. I thought when I returned to the castle, I would find my cubs hard at work trying to deal with a situation they had no training or experience in. Instead, I find out that one of my daughters had almost been killed by the Aper Major and was in the medical quarter with broken bones and a dislocated wing. I return to the castle to hear horrific screams echoing across its walls. At the center of all of this, I find my cubs bickering in the middle of the wreckage of my medical quarter, and our newest guest bearing witness to all of it. Am I interpreting this wrong in ANY way?” The newcomer challenged.

No one spoke up and so he continued by speaking directly to me.

“Honored guest, I am King Grinnail, please forgive me and my cubs for our behavior. Please, will you return with me to my throne room to discuss what has happened?” The now proclaimed king asked me.

The female med griffin got up from her bow and addressed the king before I could answer.

“Forgive me for interrupting you’re majesty, but the honored guest has just been through a severe trauma. I beg that he be given time to rest first,” she pleaded to the king.

“Is this true, do you need time to rest?” He asked me.

‘I don’t need to rest, I need his help to find my sister. My body may have changed again, but I can still move and talk.’

“I’m fine you’re majesty, I don’t want to waste any of your time,” I answered him.

He nodded then turned his attention to his cubs and the med staff.

“I want you all to safely move Falca and whatever medical equipment she needs to her old quarters here in the castle. Hyde, go with your sister and stay with her until I come to speak to you both. Takada, you’re coming with us to help explain all of this,” he said before he turned and walked away.

Takada and her guards trailed her father and I moved to follow them as well before I made a quick stop and addressed both Prince Hyde and Princess Falca.

“This isn’t either of your faults, this was just an accident. Trust me I’m fine, I’ll see you both later,” I didn’t get the chance to see their reactions as I moved to follow the king along with HK.

As we moved along the familiar corridors of the medical quarter I told HK that I wanted to speak with the king alone and I told him to wait and guard the ship until given further orders.

“Resignation: Very well master, even though I advise heavily against it, I’ll follow your orders,” the assassin droid said unhappily.

……

The throne room was massive. Eight wide pillars stood on both sides with a griffin clad in steel scaled armor posted near each one. In the center of the polished white stone floor sat a black circle with a shield, almost as big as me, in its center. The shield had the Aper Major’s head depicted in its center with a background of gold, red, white, and royal blue. The throne itself sat on an upraised dais at the end of the room. The seat was composed of a bushel of twigs forming a nest with a violet cushion in it seating the king. The throne’s backrest was made of a pair of familiar but older looking tusks that led me to believe that they were from the Aper Major that fell to Hialla centuries ago.

After I introduced myself, King Grinnail sat in his throne with his daughter seated on the steps of the dais. The king cleared his throat before speaking to me as I stood before him a few meters away from the dais.

“I would like to apologize again for your treatment here in my kingdom. The messenger that told me of your presence told me that you saved my daughter and dealt my kingdom a great service by defeating the reincarnation of the Aper Major. Such actions deserve respect and awards and I’m humbled that you haven’t taken your ship and left my kingdom already. My daughter Takada told me that you were responsible for the destruction of my medical quarter due to the effects my son’s potion put you through. I must say, your tolerance for pain must be unlimited if you can survive such a horrific transformation. I hope your new body isn’t too foreign to you.”

“Actually you’re majesty I feel just fine. Five fingered hands, two legs to walk on, and muscles just as big and strong as they were before. I may have more predator features now, but I still think and act like the human I was before I came to this world. Besides, there’s also a bright side to this situation, my skin is now my favorite color,” I said trying to reassure the king that I wasn’t too upset.

“You’re taking all of this surprisingly well,” the king said astonished.

“I’m trying to use a practical mindset through all of this. So far it’s helping me cope with my situation.”

“I see, nonetheless, you have yet to be properly rewarded for rescuing my daughter. State your wish, and I’ll do whatever is within my power to grant it.”

I smiled as I already had a wish in mind, and I got on my knees to bow before stating my wish.

“All I want is help in finding my sister you’re majesty. I’m aware that another object fell towards Equestria and I believe it to be my sister. This is all I want, nothing more.”

King Grinnail looked surprised again by what I said and he shared a quick look with his daughter before answering.

“There is no need to bow, I’m not your king, and I would gladly help you in your quest to find your sister.”

A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders as I realized that I now had resources to call upon in my search.

“Thank you you’re Majesty,” I said standing up again.

“Now I have a request for you. Please know that you are under no obligation to accept, as the ancestors as my witness, you have my word,” he said and I nodded for him to continue.

“Your skill, your power, your technology, these are things my kingdom has never seen before. Takada has told me how you were able to catch and deflect projectiles faster than the eye can track with your blade. How you were able to lift an airship larger than a building with just your magic alone. The technology you wield and possess is awe inspiring and I would be honored if you accepted my offer to serve me and my kingdom and allow my people to study you and your technology.”

‘Wait what?’ I thought wondering if I heard him right.

“I of course am willing to reward you greatly for this as well. I will announce you as a citizen and member of my House and give you status and plenty of wealth to use as you see fit. Even though you’re not a griffin, by slaying the Aper Major, you may choose to take on the title as Warden of The Isles and command your own branch in my military.”

I waited a few seconds before asking him a question.

“I-I’m deeply honored your majesty, but what would be my duties as Warden?”

“As Warden, you’d be answerable only to members of the main royal family and be my right talon. Of course, I wouldn’t give you duties and missions immediately should you accept. After a year or two, you’d only be Warden in name and during that time you can start to learn and understand how to live in griffin culture and civilization. You’ll receive whatever training you need and as the name implies, your main duty will be to protect the kingdom of the Shattered Isles and its people from any foreign threats,” He answered.

I stood there for a couple minutes digesting his offer. He was offering me, a foreigner, a high seat of power in his very own kingdom. All I had to do was get to know his people and allow him to take a peek at my new toys. After finding my sister, I would have a home and a future to look forward to if I can’t find a way back to my planet. I just had to be a Jedi and be a keeper of the peace. With these new skills and powers, it may not be that difficult. However, I have to be careful here, I wouldn’t want some of the technology on my ship to fall in the wrong hands.

“I’ll agree to your offer, only if you agree to a few conditions,” I said.

“Name them,” he said without hesitation.

“First off, there are powerful weapons on my ship that I think should remain unstudied for the time being. Please let me explain the wisdom in this, my droid HK-55 has a weapon the people of my world call a blaster. This is a deadly and highly effective weapon, and before I was dropped into this world, my own people had a primitive but just as effective version of the blaster as well. It allows anyone the capability to defeat nearly any foe with little training and I’d like for you to imagine such a reality where griffins everywhere had such weapons. Take one of your guards in the throne room for example, it probably takes years of training and constant practice with a sword to be your guard, correct?

He nodded to answer.

“Now imagine them with a weapon that could kill someone from hundreds of meters away. He or she would be a force to be reckoned with by themselves. But, now imagine if every griffin had these kinds of weapons. After a week of training, every griffin with a blaster could be a force to be reckoned with and be a challenge to even the best of your guard. This is a weapon that even my own country couldn’t properly control in its distribution. This is a powerful weapon you’re majesty, and I hope you won’t push the issue on this. It wouldn’t sit right with my morals if I gave your people better capabilities to hurt others and even hurt each other.”

I seemed to give them plenty to think about as I gave them a picture on the consequences of having access to such weapons.

“That’s not to say you can’t study the technology of other parts of my ship. There’s a sick bay on my ship with medical technology your people might find some use in. The strength of the durasteel that makes up my ship could also be of great use to your industry as well if we can find out how it’s created. What is perhaps most important of all is the computer technology that runs the ship. This is a ship that is capable of traveling beyond your solar system, and while it may take many lifetimes to even understand it, let alone recreate it. It still has the capability to advance you farther than even my own species,” I finished.

King Grinnail turned to his daughter and asked for her input.

“It sounds more than reasonable father. Besides, even knowledge of the concept of such weapons sets us ahead of our rivals in weapons development.”

“I agree, very well, we agree to your condition Jack Krieger. Whoever I send to study your ship will not be allowed to study any of its weapons and you of course can observe and make sure that they don’t look at anything their not supposed to. What are your other conditions?” He asked.

“Actually this last one is more of a personal request than an actual condition. Please don’t be harsh on Princess Falca and Prince Hyde for what happened in the medical quarter. They just wanted to help me, and I agreed to take the potion. I was the one who lost control and wrecked your property with my powers. I could have hurt them or worse and I’m just glad that they’re alright. It was all just an accident that none of us could’ve predicted.”

He seemed to contemplate my words and I think I saw the hint of a smile on his beak when he answered.

“I’ll consider your words when I go to speak with them after this meeting. But, I wish for you to respect how I treat my own cubs.”

“I will, I just wanted you to know. I agree to become your people's Warden, so what happens now?” I asked.

“Now I look for your sister and prepare to present the kingdom their new Warden. By the end of the week I’ll announce you to the Shattered Isles and what you’ve done and hopefully I’ll have found your sister by then. Until then, rest, practice your abilities, enjoy all the hospitality my castle has to offer you. But before I leave you to tour the grounds, I must have another name to go with your title as a lord in my House.

“What's wrong with just Lord Jack or Lord Krieger,” I asked.

“It’s an old tradition, griffins who ascended to griffin noble Houses through acts of martial might have to have a name that represents their strength. However, we’re already bending traditions by having a non-griffin as Warden, so you may keep your original name in your title if you wish.”

“Okay that’s fine, hmmm, how about… Wrath… Lord Wrath.” I said taking on the name of my character’s former Darth title.

“Very well, a week from now you’ll be known throughout my kingdom as Lord Wrath, Warden of The Isles.”

……

“Father, it shouldn’t take a week to find the sister. Princess Celestia has undoubtedly already found his sister if she fell on her lands. A quick letter to her will probably quicken the search to less than a few days. Why should it take week?” I asked my father.

After Jack had left the throne room, father started to drum his claws against the twigs on his throne as he considered the events of the meeting. Before he spoke to me he told the guards to leave the throne room and leave us in privacy.

“I want to get to know him a little better and try to get him to form some roots before he flies off to see his sister when we find her. When I better understand his character, I’ll give him his sister’s location in a reasonable amount of time. He’s not a griffin and therefore has no loyalty to our people just yet. I hope the time and fortunes I offer him will be enough to garner his loyalty. If not, then I hope our engineers and scientists can gain enough information from his craft if he decides to leave us.”

He stopped drumming his talons and a genuine smile formed on his beak.

“I also can’t wait to hear all the stories he has to offer. I especially can’t wait to hear how he defeated the Aper Major.”

I considered his words and I could see the logic in them.

“I’ll issue a gag order until the announcement then. Only the main family and the castle staff can know of his existence. We can’t let word reach Celestia that we already found him. There’s another issue we need to discuss as well. How did the meeting go with the House Ridara ambassador?”

His smile was gone and he started to look frustrated.

‘Oh no’

“They aren’t stopping. King Stormbeak hasn’t stopped increasing his already massive forces, and he keeps using the return of Nightmare Moon and Discord as an excuse. With the return of the Elements of Harmony, it means that more dark forces are bound to rise and he says he wants his kingdom prepared should the bearers fail.”

My feathers bristled at this news.

“Really? So his army is being prepared to defend his kingdom, not for invading and conquering when Celestia’s distracted?” I asked with a roll of my eyes.

Father let out weary sigh before answering.

“Let us hope for the former,” he paused to stare at the door where our newest guest had just left, “and prepare for the latter.”

……

The guard escorting me took me out to my ship and he left me on my own when I told him that I would be fine from here. He left to return to his post and I found HK standing guard just outside the ship’s ramp. I told him that I wanted to inspect the cargo hold and my possessions and he led me up the ramp. 2V-R8 walked up to me and he gave me the current status of the ship. It was hardly different then it was yesterday, but he asked me if he should be worried that the griffins might ‘shower their droppings all over the haul.’ I gave the droid a firm look and told him no. I asked him to prepare me a manifest of all the items and technology on the ship and he left to do his job.

HK and I continued to my cargo hold and my captain’s locker and I found my cave varactyl resting against one of the crates. She ran over to me nearly knocking me over in the process but I braced myself and held my ground. After petting her feathers for a few minutes I let her know how much of a good girl she was and she followed me over to the locker. I made a mental note to find out what she eats in the future and took hold of the handles on the main portion of the behemoth sized locker. With a gentle tug the locker opened to reveal racks of weapons and other valuables

I found lightsabers and vibroblades I left behind as I found newer and better ones throughout the game lining one of the weapon racks. Strangely enough, I found double-bladed lightsabers and blasters that I only used with other characters on the other racks as well. I even found armor and items I only used with the Sith Warrior along with items from the Sith Inquisitor, The Bounty Hunter, both Jedi characters, and even the smuggler character. I had the accumulation of all my loot from every character in swtor. Out of all the treasures I found, my eyes were drawn towards the artifacts in the very center of the locker. Holocrons, Jedi and Sith alike.

I knew of the knowledge they were supposed to possess and I carefully pulled one of the Sith holocrons from the locker. I admired the ancient symbols adorning the four-sided pyramid and I could sense the Force pulsing from its core. I gently set the holocron on the durasteel floor, then sat down before it. I crossed my legs and began a deep, slow breathing to try and get into a meditative trance. Gathering and focusing the Dark Side, I projected a wave of dark Force power to engulf the small relic. The Holocron began to sparkle and shimmer in response.

I held my breath in anticipation, unsure what would happen next. A small beam of light projected out from the top, the particles scattered and diffused. They began to shift and spin, forming into a cloaked and heavily armored figure, its features completely hidden by the hood of its heavy robe. The figure pulled back its hood and revealed a bald man with a breathing mask covering his mouth.

A voice spoke out, crisp and clear.

“I am Darth Malgus, leader of the Sith Empire’s armies. What do you seek from my holocron?”

I sat there amazed that this was still happening, that this was reality. I gave him my answer.

“Teach me.”

Author's Note

Sorry for the lack of an author's update in the last chapter. Anyway, besides continuing the plot, this chapter was made to show how much of an MMO character Jack has turned into. Also you all finally get to know Jack and Katy's last name.
I hope you all enjoyed and I can't wait to start on the next one.

6) Punishment?

Luna and I were walking back to the throne room after we finished our lunch. After half a hour of begging during lunch, Luna allowed me to ride her back for a couple of hallways till we got to the more public sections of the castle. Suffice it to say, I was as happy as a kid during Christmas. When we got to the throne room, I didn’t think anything could dampen my mood. Boy was I sure wrong when I saw a sour looking Binding Law with Celestia, waiting for me and Luna to return. The bleachers were gone and it left the throne room with a bit of an empty feeling to it now that there wasn’t as many ponies anymore.

The podiums and the silver disk in the floor were all that was left from the court setting. Luna took up her position at her podium opposite of Law while some guards chained me back up to my own podium. I looked over at Law and I wondered how he was going to argue for my sentence. Luna told me that he was holding back during my trial because he knew he wouldn’t win during Chrono Piece’s flimsy attempted murder claim. It only got into court because of the huge media reaction Chrono stirred up, and Celestia wanted to publicly show that I wasn’t some kind of pony eating monster. The only real fight he put up was when he tried to argue that it was my fault for destroying Tick Tock Measurements. Luna also said that he must have been trying to focus his time and thought on a punishment more appealing to him and who represents. The stuck up noble pricks who hate me for even daring to step foot in their city

When everyone was settled in, Celestia began the proceedings.

“Undyne, for your confirmed crimes on the day of your arrival, this private hearing is taking place in order to select a suitable punishment. As judge, I have taken into account both side of the issue, and I believe I’ve selected a suitable punishment. 5 years of public service to a designated community outside of Canterlot. The allotted time of service may be changed based upon your behavior during service and you’ll be selected a handler to oversee your time here in Equestria. I’ll now allow both the prosecution and defense to propose and argue for amendments to my punishment. Does the defense have anything to propose at this time?”

Luna shook her head towards her sister

“I do not your honor.”

Celestia turned her head towards Binding Law.

“Does the prosecution have anything to propose?”

“I do your honor. I propose that the tracking charm collar be used during the process of the defendant’s sentence.”

Celestia looked a little stunned at Law’s suggestion while Luna looked furious.

“OBJECTION!!” Luna screamed in her royal Canterlot voice that shook the room.

Celestia stomped her hoof on her throne and Luna reigned herself in from her outburst. Law didn’t seem affected at all from Luna’s eruption and casually inspected his hoof with his purple eyes. As soon as Luna got a hold of herself she continued to speak in her indoor voice.

“Your honor, the tracking charm collar is a device solely used for cases dealing with wild animals. My client is clearly a sentient being, not even close to the requirements needed to use the device.”

“On the contrary, in the eyes of the law, the defendant is clearly within the requirements needed to use the collar. In the bill that your honor wrote nearly 959 years ago on the month of the Summer Sun celebration, any creature that doesn’t fall under the Recognized Intelligent Species Accords must be subjected to a tracking charm collar in order to help avoid unwanted consequences. Since the defendant’s species clearly isn’t found within the Accords, she is technically a wild animal and must be treated as such. So it should be within Euqestria’s best interest to ensure that she is tracked at all times.”

Luna glared hatefully at Law before she turned to her sister waiting to hear her verdict.

“It is true, while it may leave a bad taste in my mouth, Undyne is truly considered an animal in the eyes of the law. Therefore, I have no choice but to issue a collar till the Accords are amended. Does the prosecution have anything else to propose?”

I was… stunned. Celestia just admitted that I was considered a wild animal in her lands.

“Thank you your honor, now I…” Binding Law continued.

‘I have to say something, screw this noise!’

“I AM NOT SOME WILD ANIMAL,” I screamed into the throne room.

Celestia and Luna both stared at me with guilt ridden all over their faces. Law gave me a casual glance and the bastard had the balls to actually smile.

“You sure do bark like one though,” He remarked.

I gritted my teeth as I growled in frustration.

“And growl like one too,” He added.

“ENOUGH,” Celestia ordered with a stomp of her hoof silencing both me and Law.

“Does the prosecution have anything to add, or not?”

“I do your honor, I also invoke the right that allows the ponies of the city of Canterlot to select on an impartial judge to oversee the hearings on the defendants progress on reformation. This right can be found in section 5 of the reformer’s bill and can be put into effect should the majority of the House of Nobility agree that the Princess’s should not be made judges of the defendant’s reformation.”

When Luna didn’t come up with a counter argument, Celestia acknowledged Law’s claim.

“This is their right, I see no grounds to suggest that they can’t choose their judge. A hearing will be scheduled three days from now to decide if a judge should be found or not. Do you have any more proposals?”

“Just one more your honor, I move to ensure that all of the defendant’s possessions are removed from her and held by the crown till she has served the rest of her sentence. This includes her armor, and the clothes she is wearing currently.”

Now I was pissed, and a little scared as well.

‘He wants to take away my clothes as well, what the hell did I ever do to this guy? Did I step on his pet kitten when I was rampaging through Canterlot? They’re not actually going to take my clothes are they?’

Celestia saw my discomfort and gave Binding Law a cold glare that gave me shivers.

“It is not within this courts’ right to take away the defendants medical needs. The royal physician Dr. Steady Hoof proposed to the crown that the defendant receive her clothes for medical purposes and this court will not redact the crown’s decision to offer her clothes. Do you understand?”

Celestia’s voice sucked the warmth right out of the room and Law seemed to understand that he was stepping beyond his limits.

“I dismiss my proposal, your honor.”

“Good. Then the sentence has been formed and amended during this hearing. Undyne the… creature… who committed crimes across Canterlot’s streets, will be sentenced to 5 years of public service to the town of Ponyville in order to make amends. Her handler shall be one of my own guards, Sergeant Vigilant Star, who volunteered for this positon and was found completely qualified. A hearing will take place within the House of Nobles in three days to select a judge to oversee Undyne’s reformation in the coming months and decide whether to reduce the sentence or not based on her behavior. This hearing is concluded.” Celestia said with a stomp of her hoof.

......

“I am so sorry Undyne. I should have found a way to prevent this, you don’t deserve to have that blasted thing put on you. I swear I’ll have the Recognized Intelligent Species Accords amended as soon as possible.” Luna said as a unicorn guard pony outfitted me with a thin black metal collar that snuggly squeezed the scales and gills on my neck.

“It’s not your fault Luna, when those laws were written they couldn’t have foreseen someone like me coming along. Don’t worry, I make chokers look good,” I said trying to reassure Luna.

“This isn’t a matter of aesthetics Undyne. That collar symbolizes you as nothing but an unintelligent animal. It’s an insult.”

I sighed as Luna told me what I already knew. I know that the ponies who really mattered recognized that I wasn’t an animal, any pony that actually believed otherwise could go to hell for all I care.

‘Ponies like Binding Law for instance. Ooohh, if I ever get the chance, I’ll give him a colonoscopy with one of my spears.’

I tried to change the subject.

“So I’m going to Ponyville huh, I’m not complaining, but why would you send me there for my public service? I mean, I know what’s going to happen in their future, and wouldn’t sending me there possibly mess up the Elements progress on learning friendship? For all I know, me just standing in town could cause a butterfly effect that could ruin everything.”

Luna gave a small laugh at my worry.

“You’ve already affected the Element’s lives.”

“What, how?”

“Twilight Sparkle has already sent three letters to me and my sister begging us to let her study you. Pinkamena Diane Pie has requested that we allow her to throw you a ‘Welcome to Equestria Ms. Alien’ party. Even Ms. Rarity has sent us a letter, curious to know what the people of your world consider as fashion.”

The unicorn guard pony’s horn glowed a little and the tracking collar gave off a feint green glow in response. Luna beckoned me to follow her and we left the throne room to walk down the castle halls. As we walked, Luna continued the conversation.

“As you can see, you’ve affected their lives already. They want to get to know you and you’re probably going to meet them sooner or later. We’re not sending you to Ponyville to just serve your sentence, we’re also sending you there to make sure that they do learn their lessons of friendship. If you know what they’re supposed to learn, then you can recognize if there is a problem and you can warn us and help fix a potential lesson if they fail to learn it. The Bearers of Harmony must be allowed to grow, and the best pony to make sure that they grow, is the one who knows how they do it.”

“Okay, that makes sense I guess, but what if I mess up. I could still potentially ruin everything. What if I do something that ruins history, what happens if I cause a chain of events that…”

“Undyne, stop,” Luna interrupted.

“If I and my ponies are all just a part of some show, then you would never have been here. You’re presence here shows that our perceptions of reality can never truly be known. It proves that the future is always changing, and no matter what happens, we just have to deal with whatever conflicts come our way and we’ll have to continue when we surpass them. I know you’ll be okay, because you’ve already helped me.”

“So you’re really going to talk to Celestia about the Tantabus. When?”

“Tonight, after I raise the moon. See? You’ve already helped resolve a future conflict if the Tantabus was supposed to be part of an episode. You’ve probably resolved it for the better by making sure that I try to come to terms with my past now, instead of letting it build up.”

“Okay…, alright, I’ll make sure those girls do fine.”

As we walked down the castle hallways, heading for a carriage that was supposed to take me to Ponyville, another question came to mind.

“So who is my handler? Vigilant Star was is it?”

“Ah yes, the sergeant is an excellent unicorn, and I’ve read that he trained with guard captain Shining Armor when they were both at the academy. Instead of climbing further up the ranks with him, he instead made it his wish to stay as a sergeant where he’ll likely receive more field work instead of paperwork. In fact, I believe you two have already met.”

“Indeed we have,” said an oddly familiar voice.

We were approaching a double door with three guards standing in front of it, two on each side with one standing directly in front of it. The one in the center was the pony that spoke out, and he removed his helmet to reveal a bright, fiery green mane that was unkempt and coarse in a few areas. He had bright blue eyes and his coat was white like most of the other guards I’ve seen. His armor hid his butt tattoo so I couldn’t see what his specialty was. He bowed his head with the rest of the guards towards Luna and only raised himself up when we were standing before them.

“It is an honor to serve your majesties in this task. I swear that I’ll do my best to keep her out of trouble,” he said smiling up at me.

Okay now I remember where I heard that voice.

“You were that unicorn that tried to arrest me from the beginning! You couldn’t even tell my gender when we first met. You’re my handler?”

He gave me a sheepish smile before he responded to my question.

“Yep, and you’re that lady who put a spear in my gut and showed me my heart. Literally.”

Now it was my turn to look a little sheepish.

“Yeah, uhh, sorry about that,” I apologized.

He waved his hoof in the air to wave off my apology.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s all water under the bridge. Can’t say that about the rest of my guards, but I’m sure they’ll get over it with time. Let’s start over and formally introduce ourselves, we’re going to be knowing each other for a while now. My name Vigilant Star, ranked sergeant amongst the Royal guard and I’m to be you’re handler during your public service to the ponies of Ponyville.”

He raised his hoof towards me in a gesture to shake my hand. I bent down and wrapped my hand around his hoof to shake it.

“My name is Undyne, pleased to meet you again.”

When we finished shaking hand and hoof, Luna began to speak again.

“Now that you both are acquainted, I’ll allow sergeant Star to take it from here and escort you to Ponyville.”

My mood started to get a little gloomy as I realized that I probably won’t see Celestia and Luna for a while. I turned to Luna to speak but stopped when I saw Celestia walking down the hall towards us.

“You didn’t think I’d let you leave our city without a formal goodbye did you?” Celestia said with a raised eyebrow.

I smiled ear to ear now that the warm, motherly Celestia was back.

“Well I assumed you’d be too busy after the trial,” I responded.

“Not busy enough to see off a new friend.”

I never thought I could feel so happy to hear Celestia herself call me a friend. My fingers twirled my hair nervously as I thought of a question.

“Do you think we can all have a goodbye hug?”

Celestia and Luna glanced at each other and chuckled at my question.

“You really like hugs, don’t you?” Luna asked

“Well you guys are just so fluffy and soft, can you blame me?”

They chuckled again at my response and opened their wings in an open invitation. After the hug, Celestia and Luna told me one last thing before I left with Vigilant Star.

“We’ll keep in contact through my student’s assistant, Spike the dragon. I’ve instructed Twilight Sparkle that we’ll require his services and he’ll deliver any letters we’ve sent to you, which will have updates on our progress to search for your brother. My student will also be there to greet you when you arrive, and she’ll introduce you to ponies who want to meet you,” Said Celestia.

“Vigilant Star and Mayor Mare will instruct you on your community services after you get settled in your new lodgings. We know you’ll do just fine,” said Luna.

“Thank you, I won’t let you two down,” I said to them as I turned to Vigilant.

“Well, I’m off to Ponyville”

‘Wow that felt weird to say.’

……

“Whoohooo, this is awesome, hey Vigilant stick your head out the window. I think I can see Ponyville from here.”

I pulled my head back into the carriage to see a wheezy looking Vigilant Star holding his helmet out in front of him, ready to use it as a puke bucket.

“Oh come on, you get sick from flying?”

“I was born on the ground and that is where I belong, not up here with no wings to carry me when something goes wrong.”

“That’s why they made parachutes, come on, the key is to not think about falling. That’s all there is to it.”

Vigilant gave me a stern look and I shrugged my shoulders to look outside the window again. The carriage was being carried by a team of pegasi guards that seemed to have no problems carrying their heavy load. I always admired pegasi the most when I watched the show. To feel the wind hitting your face and to always have the best view of the world must have been a dream come true. When I looked towards the ground and saw that we would be arriving in Ponyville in a couple minutes, I pulled my head back in to ask Vigilant a question.

“So where am I going to sleep when I’m in Ponyville?”

Vigilant looked like he was about to puke when he opened his mouth, but he caught himself and forced it back down his throat before speaking.

“You’ll be staying in a small three room lodge outside of Ponyville. You are not to leave the lodge at any time unless you are being escorted by me or another guard. While it may not be there for long, that tracking collar will warn me if you try to leave the lodge at any time without permission. I should warn you that failure to abide by this rule can harm your attempts to appeal for a shorter sentence when your reformation judge reviews your progress.”

“Okay, but what if I have any guests?”

“If somepony wishes to visit you at your home, then they must schedule an appointment with me and I’ll have to be present for the entirety of the meeting. I’ll also be in charge of any mail you send or receive. Along with food and any other necessities. ”

“Got it, like a simple house arrest right?”

“Exactly.”

We hit a little turbulence and Vigilant looked like he was finally going to barf all over his helmet. Luckily the turbulence ended before that could happen, and he took a few deep breaths before counting to ten.

“So what do I do at the lodge when I’m not working? Read a book, stare at a wall, do pushups till I pass out?”

“We’ll be training to help you completely harness your power. Princess Celestia tasked me to help you find your full potential and it’s my hope that at the end of your training sessions we’ll find out how strong you really are.”

“We’re going to train? How?”

“Princess Celestia told me how you are able to keep ponies in place with their SOUL’s and I want to see how many ponies that ability can extend to. We’ll be sparring, doing target practice with your spears, anything we can do to see the full extent of your abilities. We’ll also see if there is anything else you’re capable of. I’m sure there’s more to you than just spears, SOULS, and brute strength. You are literally made of magic you know?”

“Yeah, you don’t need remind me of that,” I said as I flipped open my eyepatch to show him the blue light emitting from my eye socket.

The carriage began to descend till we leveled out and reached our destination. Vigilant was the first one out and I could hear him sighing with relief. As soon as I was out the door I found myself directly facing Ponyville Town Hall. On the front steps waiting for me were three familiar characters. Mayor Mare stood next to a smiling Twilight Sparkle, with her number one assistant sitting on her back looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Mayor Mare stepped off the steps to come towards me and Vigilant and introduced herself.

“Greetings Undyne, I’m Mayor Mare and I’ll be in charge of your jobs and work hours as you work through your sentence here in Ponyville. I hope being punished by working here doesn’t impair too much of your opinion of our humble town. With somepony as strong as you, I think you’ll find our work here to be quite a breeze compared to the feats I hear you’re capable of.”

I smiled down at her while trying to hide as much of my sharp teeth as I could.

“Hello Mayor, it’s a pleasure to be here. I think I’ll like working here, and you have my word that I’ll work hard in any job you give me. So you must be Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s student right?” I said turning towards Twilight.

She looked like she was going to burst from excitement when I turned towards her. So was I, but I was much better at hiding it.

“Oh yes, Princess Celestia has written to me much about you, it an honor to meet a being made up of so much-,”

“Hi there!” Said a pink bubbly mass with eyeballs as it got right up in my face out of nowhere.

‘I probably shouldn’t be surprised that she would greet me like this. Oh well, time to greet my favorite party pony.’

“Hi there yourself, are you Pinkie Pie?” I responded.

“(gasp) are you a psychic?”

“Don’t be silly, Celestia told me that you wanted to throw me a party.”

“Oh duh, so are you that thingy my twitchy tail told me would fall out of the sky a few days ago?”

“Yep, I’m Equestria’s first alien, pretty cool huh.”

“It’s the coolest, I’ve never been friends with an alien before, do you want to be friends!?”

“No, I don’t want to be friends,” I said while picking her up underneath her forelegs, “I want us to be the BESTEST of best friends!”

“YAY!!”

I started to spin us around as we whooped in excitement. When I finally calmed down, I turned around to see Twilight, Spike, Vigilant, and the Mayor staring at me and Pinkie awkwardly. Before I addressed Twilight, I held Pinkie like a plushie underneath my armpit with my right arm and she didn’t seem to mind being carried that way.

“Sorry what were you going to say Twilight?”

“Oops, did I interrupt something, I’m sorry Twilight.”

Twilight cleared her throat before she spoke.

“It’s okay Pinkie, as I was saying, it’s an honor to meet a being made up of so much magic. It’s my wish to exchange knowledge of magic here in Equestria, and I hope this’ll lead us to becoming best friends as well.”

“I wish to become friends with you too Twilight Sparkle, and you must be Spike the dragon.”

Spike kept staring at me with a raised eyebrow before Twilight nudged him to speak.

“So you’re the Dread Fish that everyone’s read about in the newspapers?”

Twilight nearly gave herself whiplash as her head whipped to the side to berate the tiny little dragon.

“Spike! Don’t call her that!”

“They’re calling me what in the newspapers?” I asked, curious at the new name.

“Oh yeah, it was all over the news a few days ago, here look.” Pinkie said as she pulled a newspaper out of her poofy pink mane with her hoof. I didn’t question it and thanked her for the paper. There was a black and white picture of me in full armor running through the streets of Canterlot with ponies fleeing in terror. The main headline read as such…

THE DREAD FISH INVADES

PONIES FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES AS THE TERROR OF CANTERLOT RAMPAGES THROUGH THE STREETS

“The Dread Fish huh? Cool name, I like it! Hmm, Undyne the Dread Fish, no wait, The Heroine Undyne the Dread Fish. No, the dread part kinda contradicts the heroine part, what do you think Pinkie?”

Pinkie was rubbing her chin contemplating the name till a shining lightbulb burst out of her mane.

“Oh oh, Captain Undyne the Dread Fish, pirate of the seven seas. Aaargh. With the eyepatch you could totally pass as a pirate.”

I considered the name till I shook my head to decline.

“It’s a good name, but too long. Naah, let’s just keep it short and sweet in the meantime. Undyne the Dread Fish.”

The other ponies were staring at me as if I grew another head. Mayor Mare spoke up to voice her concerns.

“Maybe it’s best that you don’t call yourself that till ponies have warmed up to you a bit more. We don’t need to scare them even more by having them call you such an… intimidating name.”

“Oh phooey, fine, whatever doesn’t keep ponies up at night. So what’s next, am I going to introduce myself to any other ponies?"

The mayor gestured with her hoof towards the entrance of Town Hall and we all followed her inside with me still carrying Pinkie underneath my right arm.

“We plan to introduce you to the entire town in fact. We want to make sure that the ponies in town feel safe with you here, and we feel that a town gathering is the best way for you to introduce yourself and answer anypony’s questions. A good first impression.”

……

I was scratching Pinkie Pie behind her ears as I waited for Mayor Mare and Twilight to finish introductions to the crowd beyond the curtains. Pinkie was curled up on my lap purring like a kitten as I sat on the wooden floor and it helped me figure out what to say about any questions the ponies may think of. I was a little nervous at first, but Pinkie reassured me that ponies will love me once they see that I’m not the big meanie they saw in the papers.

I smiled down at my first friend of the Mane 6 and I hoped it would be as easy to make friends with the rest of Ponyville as it was with her. The metal collar on my neck was starting to get a little irritating when I couldn’t scratch the itch on my scales underneath it. I couldn’t wait for the day I could take it off and forget that I ever had to wear it in the first place. I had faith that Luna and Celestia will make sure that day comes quickly. Twilight and Mayor Mare were about to say their final lines.

“We ask at this time that you keep your minds open, and hope you’ll understand that Undyne is not the monster that the media has portrayed her as,” Twilight said.

“It is with great pleasure that we introduce you all to Equestria’s newest visitor. Undyne!” said Mayor Mare signaling that it was time to reveal myself.

I nudged Pinkie to tell her that it was time to get off and she hopped off my lap. Before I could move through the curtains, Pinkie waved her hoof to get my attention.

“You’ll do great Undyne, I know you will,” she said with a big smile.

“Thanks Pinkie.”

I pulled back the curtains to see a huge crowd of colorful ponies. Pegasi were flying above the crowd to see me or were laying on clouds with friends. Earth and Unicorn ponies stood on the ground subtlety pushing each other in order to see me. Foal’s stood on their parent’s backs looking at me with innocent and curious eyes. As my eyes scanned the crowd, I found a familiar set of friends standing out amongst the crowd together. Fluttershy stood next to Rarity with her mane hiding her face from my sight, she was holding Rarity’s hoof as I walked out on stage to a podium with a microphone. Rarity was staring at my clothes and I don’t think she was too impressed. Applejack’s face was neutral but her hat was off to show that her ears were pointed in my direction. Pinkie Pie somehow made it out to the crowd in record speeds, and she was waving and smiling at me. Rainbow Dash sat above her friends in a cloud, her eyes watching my every movement like a hawk. The cutie mark crusaders were there as well, Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom were sitting next to their respective sisters while Scootaloo sat next to Rainbow Dash up in her cloud.

When I got up to the microphone I said the only thing that came to mind.

“Hey there, ponies of Ponyville. What’s up?”

The crowd was murmuring from my introduction and I tried to introduce myself some more.

“Well like the Mayor said, my name is Undyne, and I’ll be working off my sentence here in Ponyville for… well you know… storming through Canterlot. Hehehe...hehe.”

‘Smooth Katy, real smooth. Quick try to salvage this!’

“I just want to let you know that I’m sorry for what I’ve done and I hope to make up for my mistakes by working hard during my stay here in your wonderful town.”

‘Good work Katy!’

“I guess now is the time to answer any questions you may have about me.”

Rows of hooves stretched out amongst the crowd and I gulped at the sheer amount of questions. I pointed to a random hoof amongst the crowd and selected a red coated mare.

“What’s your question ma’am?

“Is it true that your favorite food is ponies?”

“Nope, I’ve never once eaten a pony, and I don’t plan to eat one at any time in the future. Next question?”

A lot of hooves went down after that question and I chose Pinkie for the next one.

“What's your favorite kind of cake?”

“Great question! I like vanilla ice cream cake with blue frosting because blue is my favorite color. Next?”

The next one I picked was Cheerilee’s

“Are there more like you out there in Equestria?”

“Well I think my little brother came with me, but we got separated. I don’t know where he is but I hope to find him soon.”

They all seemed saddened to hear about my missing brother and I appreciated the sympathy. I saw that Rarity had a question and I pointed to her to speak up.

“Do your kind have an eye for fashion darling?”

“Indeed we do, my people have a large multitude of fashionable clothes and other aesthetics. These clothes I’m wearing aren’t what my people consider fashionable, they’re just clothes I wear underneath my armor.”

Rainbow Dash was waving frantically for my attention and I chose her next.

“Where’s that cool armor we saw in the papers?”

“It’s being held by the princess’s till I’ve served the rest of my time here in Ponyville. What’s your question little guy?” I said pointing towards Pipsqueak.

“Is it true that you can use magic?’

“You bet I can.”

I summoned a dozen spears to float in the air and I had them twirl and dance around each other till I clapped my hands and made them disappear. They oohed and awed at my performance.

“Next question?

……

I laid down in my cozy little bed that had just enough room to hold my entire body. The town gathering took all day and I was exhausted by the end of it. Vigilant left me at my three room cabin and told me that he come first thing in the morning to pick me up for my first job in Ponyville. The cabin was composed of a small bedroom with a window that had a great view of the outskirts of Ponyville in the moonlight. The main room just had a couch with an empty bookshelf and a door to the outside world. The kitchen had a stove, eating table, and a full stock of food that’ll last me through the week.

After all the madness in Canterlot, Ponyville was a pleasant breath of fresh air.

‘I don’t think working here will be much of a punishment at all,’ I thought as I drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note

This one took me a while to write and I'm sorry about that :fluttershysad: .

My free time was taken up by playing the new Overwatch character and Mass Effect Andromeda. I was able to find some time over the weekend and I got this all written out in a few sittings. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter on Katy's adventure.

Next I have a question for everyone (And you don't have to answer it if you don't want to, my feelings won't be hurt). What do you like most about my two main characters? I don't see many human brother and sister fics as I surf around fimfiction and I'm honestly curious about what people think of them.

Jack's logbook is up next.

Log Entry #2

Personal Log

It’s been one hell of a week. The potion that was supposed to give me back my face backfired and now I’m not even human anymore. Something reacted to the potion Prince Hyde made and now I’ve been transformed into a literal sith. My skin is thicker, tougher, and is now as red as blood. My teeth and nails have been turned into tools better suited to hunt prey and they have been by far the most difficult thing to adapt to. I have to be more careful with my tongue in case I accidentally bite it off with my ridiculously sharp teeth and I have to make sure that I don’t tear anything up with my claws. The claws are less of an issue since I’ve landed in a kingdom where it’s inhabitants are born with talons and sharp beaks. Falca assures me that torn up cloth and shredded furniture are a common enough occurrence in griffin lands that they have shops dedicated entirely to fix such problems.

Overall, I’m not too upset about my newest transformation. Every time I changed my character’s look in the game I always molded him into what I thought was handsome at the time, (and who doesn’t do that during character creation?). I think the red skin and bone structure around my face kinda gives me a devilishly handsome charm. Falca and the rest of the castle don’t seem disturbed by my new look, but I can’t help but wonder what Katy will think of it. Oh god… what will my sister look like as Undyne the anthropomorphic fish lady with actual scales instead of blue paint and tangible fins for ears? I hope she’s adjusting to her new body as well as I have.

Let’s move on, Princess Falca insists that I just call her Falca from now on since I’m now a ‘member of the House’. The only one I have to address by their full title is King Grinnail since I am to be his right talon in my new job as Warden. Yeah, believe it or not, the king offered me a title for killing the Aper Major and saving his daughter. I accepted the position after a few conditions were met, although now that I think back on it, I think I may have acted a little too hastily. As this Warden of The Isles, I’ll have to fight for a kingdom that I literally just landed in. I can’t shake the disturbing thoughts that I may have to kill if ordered to do so by my new king. From our conversations at lunch and dinner, he doesn’t strike me as some heartless and unthinking tyrant, and I think I may have started to form the beginning of a friendship with him. But I still fear that he may call upon me one day to hurt people I’ve never met

I realize that this may have been foolish of me to just take his offer after I just landed on this alien planet days ago. But, I think I was a bit desperate, the thought of a home and stable ground to call my own really tugged at my desires. I could have just left and lived like a vagrant on my ship, but that’s no way to live. He said it’ll be years before he’ll actually give me duties to carry out and in the meantime I can learn more about his people and the kingdom they inhabit. Who knows? Maybe I’ll actually want to defend these people in the coming years. If there are more griffins like Falca out there I can see it more as a likely possibility. Heh, sorry Katy, but I joined the military before you could, (even though I’m only Warden by name for now).

Since Falca has taken responsibility for me, she has agreed to be my guide and teacher as I learn about her kingdom. I worried that I may be taking her away from her own duties, but she assures me that I’m not getting in the way of anything. With my connection to the Force, I could tell that she was truly emotionally happy at the concept of guiding me, but I could also detect a small trace of sadness. She hid it well, but I could sense her sorrow ever since the day she and Hyde had their conversation with her father. The sadness has decayed over the week, and I’ve kept my nose out of what was undoubtedly private family business. I couldn’t help but ponder though, is she sad because I slew the Aper Major when she couldn’t? Did I take away her only chance to become queen? I’m worried, she is my first friend in this alien world and I'd hate to think that she may be hurting in any way because of me.

*Note: Find some way to cheer up Falca.

I worry about my possible second friend the most of all however. Hyde ran out the castle as soon as he finished talking with his father and I think that he may still feel guilty over what happened to me. He seemed very excited to discuss some experiments with me, but I think I ruined his scientific curiosity after my shocking transformation. I wanted to leave the castle and tell him in person that I’m really okay with what happened, but I’m not allowed to leave until after King Grinnail announced me to the populous. Falca didn’t know what her brother and father talked about after he finished talking with her, and she is just as worried as I am. She ensures me that the day after the announcement she’ll take me to see her brother on the Nether Isle.

*Note: Find a way to amend possible friendship with Hyde.

I’m also helping Boreus prepare for my new accommodations during my meals. I’ll apparently inherit the Warden’s Stronghold, which is a small castle outside Horaca’s walls with a good view of the sea. Every Warden in the Shattered Isles history takes the stronghold for their own and customizes it to their own specifications. Boreus will tell me the features of the stronghold and I’ll decide what the workers keep and get rid of. The last Warden apparently lived 300 years ago, before the civil war between the griffin Houses and the destruction of King Grover’s dynasty. So most of the old decrepit furniture is being replaced with comforts more akin to my size, and a steel landing pad is being created to hold my starship. Me and Boreus are already having a problem with the budget, so we plan to discuss it with the royal treasurer tomorrow morning.

My Studies on the Force

My philosophy and goals in life have always revolved around my curiosity in science, my sense of self-worth in serving others, and my desire to make my loved ones proud of me. I went to college to become an environmental toxicologist because I was good at chemistry and I wanted to contribute to the world by helping people find what is and what isn’t healthy for organisms in multiple environments. I had no big ambitions, just a desire to live a secure but experienced life. A life where I would see and experience all the wonders of the world and all its cultures while hoping to find love along the way.

But now…

Now, I have a strong influence over a power that is just as common to this new world as gravity, light, or time. A power that is connected to all the forces of nature. A mystical power that I once thought was the creation from a man’s imagination. Something that would always remain as a dream. In this world however…

The Force. Is. Reality.

I now have new goals and more inspiration than ever before. I will master the Force and use it explore things that humanity never thought possible. I will master the lightsaber and dedicate myself to its combat forms every day. I will explore all of the Sith warrior’s Force abilities, and once I have mastered them, I will expand them. I will use all I learn from the Force to protect my sister when I find her, and one day, I will use it to protect the kingdom that has so kindly taken me in.

With the holocrons I found on the Fury, I have begun to set up a schedule dedicated solely to training until the day of my announcement. For lightsaber training, Darth Malgus’s holocron has provided for me a harsh but effective physical training regimen that focuses on the strengths of the Sith Juggernaut. After an early morning hour-long sprint around the castle, unassisted by the Force, I’ll practice heavily on the movements and heavy strikes of Form 5 and Form 7 on a training dummy from the ship. I’ve started to learn how to effectively use the Dark Side to supply myself with strength without becoming a slave to my hatred. As I practice my core offensive forms, I’ve instructed HK-55 and a few training remotes to fire volleys of stun bolts at me in random intervals to better my defenses with Form 3. Every training session will take up all of both the morning and afternoon each day, and I’ll only take a break to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the royal family and Boreus.

I’ve managed to learn these forms quickly with the assistance of the foreign memories and I’ll soon master them with time. I’ve decided to focus solely on these three forms for the time being, mainly because I support the idea that a master of a few techniques is often stronger than a jack-of-all trades. I’ve chosen to focus on these forms specifically because my larger and more powerful body frame enhances the stronger strikes of Form 5 & 7. Form 3 was chosen because throughout nearly all of the foreign memories, Form 3 was used the most. Every foreign memory of a battle had shown a use of Soresu at one point, and the form has become the one I’ve mastered the most by far. Soon, I hope to make an impenetrable defense with my lightsaber.

After dinner, I immerse myself to the study and manipulation of the Force. While Darth Malgus instructs me how to turn my body into a weapon and harness the Dark Side, former Jedi Grandmaster Satele Shan’s holocron teaches me how to enhance my control over the Force. My telekinetic precision is improved every night as I use a training method from the Jedi Order called the oxygen bottle. It is a great exercise for telekinetic precision as it requires me to fill an empty bottle with nothing but oxygen molecules plucked one by one from the air.

*Note: Oh what would scientists such as Einstein, Dalton, and Bohr have given to have access to these powers? To literally sense the atom itself could’ve hastened their work by years.

For matters of control I’ll practice by levitating myself and multiple objects simultaneously by using a meditative trance that Satele has helped me master. I lift just about anything I could telekinetically grasp, like books, the holocrons, furniture, even the Fury.

After practicing precision and control for a few hours, I’ll move on to having Satele teach me more about my sense abilities. For the rest of the night, I’ll enter a deep meditative trance and stretch my awareness of the environment I inhabit. It’s… overwhelming, having a deeper, cosmic awareness of the Living Force. To have the metal and stone of the castle stripped away and the currents of the Force laid bare. In the city, I can feel the echos of the minds of thousands of griffins within the Force. Their anger… their passionate greed… their sorrow, but I also sense love, joy, and empathy. It is life.

When I close my eyes and focus on a smaller scale, I can feel this castle around me. I can hear the sound of the guard’s wings cutting the air as they fly around the castle to complete their patrols. The cutting of meat as the kitchen staff goes about their work at the end of the night. I hear the rumble of electricity as its currents flow through the Fury, the circulation of a starship’s lifeblood. The large concentrations of power inside each royal family member within the castle’s walls. The gentle breathing of Falca and so many other castle staff as they try to fall asleep to end their day. Then the foreign memories remind me that I can listen deeper, and I stretch past their breathing, and listen. The surface of their thoughts are exposed to me and I’ll decline to put their thoughts to paper for the sake of privacy.

(Yes, I’m aware of the hypocrisy since I’m already breaking into their privacy, but I’m not so cruel as to tell their thoughts to others.)

I can hear them, truly hear the essence of what they are. Their emotions, their dreams, their worries, these griffins are such a strange but familiar people. They have emotions and quirks like any other human, and these sessions at night have helped me understand who the griffins of this kingdom truly are. It has helped me form a bit of an attachment to them even now. I’ve already stretched out beyond the islands to find Katy, but alas, I’ve reached a problem. The sheer mass of minds and thoughts in this world are so overwhelming, that my progress to sense Katy’s presence is at a snail’s pace.

I’ve taken what I’ve learned about Force Sense from Satele, and incorporated it into my training sessions with Darth Malgus. Recently, I’ll go through the whole day with a blindfold on and enhance my training sessions with the lightsaber while simultaneously deepening my senses with the Force. It’s arduous and a bit painful at times, but I know that it’ll improve me in the long run.

Author's Note

I wanted to give Katy a logbook at the same time that Jack did, but I wrote myself into a corner over time. She will eventually, don't worry, and its not going to be like the logbook that Jack's writing.

7) Bureaucracy and Celebrations

My heart was beating the inside of my chest like a drum. Twice I have sprinted around this castle and I was closely approaching my third time. My bare feet struck the stone on top of the castle wall’s walkways and I approached the one point in my morning run where I would need to use the Force. An open ledge pointing towards the inside of the castle that allowed griffins a clear path behind the castle walls. The ledge allowed griffins protecting the walls a supply line should they ever come under siege. It had no ladders, ropes, or elevators because there would be no point to have any of these things when a griffin could fly. For land-bound creatures like me, it was a straight descent to the ground from a five stories high fortification.

I leapt off the wall without a care in the world, and gathered the Force underneath me. I struck the ground and into a tiny little pit I made from my constant jumps throughout the week. My Force shield absorbed the kinetic energy from the drop and I continued my run, barely breaking stride. A griffin in my path was on his patrol and he stepped to the side to let me pass.

“Morning Bayar,” I said as I ran past him.

“Good morning my lord,” He replied.

Since I started my early morning runs, I had made it a routine to greet every patrol in my path. I remembered all their names, and it did nothing but boost my popularity points around the castle.

A beep from the comlink on my belt told me that my hour was up and I sprinted all the way to the castle entrance where Boreus and HK-55 were waiting for me. As soon as I reached them I took some time to catch my breath and wiped the sweat from my brow. Boreus came up to me with a goblet full of water and I thanked him for the precious liquid. I took a few gulps and poured the rest of it on me to allow it to cool off my head and bare chest. The only articles of clothing I had on were below my belt and they included the robe and armored leggings. I didn’t wear my boots, instead, I left them behind in my room so I could enjoy the foreign sensations of grass and dirt between my toes. My Dad would say that would be an excellent way to get parasites, but it didn’t matter to me when I could just burn away any bodily intruders with the Force.

I stood there for a couple minutes letting the morning breeze dry me off and I combed my hair with my fingers to get it back into its original state. I gave Boreus back the goblet and I motioned for us to go into the castle. We were walking down a carpet laden hallway with white glowing stones lighting our way, but I only knew they were white from my memory of them. A cloth blindfold was tied over my eyes and prevented me from seeing anything of the physical world. However, this did not deter me at all as I perceived everything around me clearly with the Force. My Force sight heightened all of my senses and everything in the physical world appeared as translucent objects. Organic beings like Boreus and Bayar emitted distinct auras that allowed me to identify them, while HK appeared as nothing but a moving translucent piece of machinery.

As we were walking down the hallway, Boreus brought me up to speed on what we needed to discuss with the royal treasurer this morning.

“Mr. Vax should be arriving just now and we’ll be able to speak to him before he gets too busy with today’s workload. Our budget for your stronghold needs to be increased in order to allow the library you requested. It shouldn’t be too much trouble, our king has been very generous with his bits so far.”

“I wish I didn’t have to request more money, but I really think a personal library will speed up my education of the world. It’ll certainly help Falca so she doesn’t have to order books from the city as she teaches me about your kingdom.”

The Warden’s Stronghold had no library due to its previous occupants never having a use for one. It was a place for the Wardens to train and rest, if they wanted to learn, they would just go to libraries found in the city’s college.

“Statement: I hope the library comes with primitive scribblings on the details of the wars and battles that have been fought on this world. It’ll help me conceive of new tactics and strategies for all the new meatbags.”

“Your golem has nothing to worry about. Your new library will be filled with strategies and all sorts of militant topics.”

“Resentment: I am not a golem! I am a highly sophisticated battle droid, designed to perfect the art of assassination.”

I could sense that Boreus was giving HK a weird look and he spoke to me in a hushed tone.

“It’s so strange that he can seem so…alive. If I didn’t see all the metal and machinery, I would swear that he was a living being with the way he talks.”

I shrugged my shoulders as I answered Boreus.

“They built him with the best parts imaginable. Everything is top quality, even his personality matrix.”

“Gratitude: Oh master, your words warm my servomotors.”

After a few minutes later we came across the royal treasurer’s office and Boreus told the assistant that we were to meet with Mr. Vax. A few seconds later, the assistant came back and told us that we could meet him. When we entered his office, I smelled the familiar sent of coffee, office paper, and…jasmine? I took off the blindfold so I could talk to Mr. Vax with respectful eye contact and I got a good look at the surprisingly young griffin. He was a tad shorter than Boreus and he had a black panther’s pelt to go with his raven features. Every physical feature of him was pitch black and it made his white pinstriped suit stand out. This was my first meeting with the griffin and he gave me a neutral look. Boreus walked up to his desk and introduced me.

“This is Lord Wrath, future Ward-…”

“I know who he is, what do you want? I’ve got a busy schedule ahead of me,” he rudely interrupted. Boreus composed himself before speaking and told him why we were here. As soon as he told him about the library, he stopped him with a raised talon.

“The budget cannot be modified. Now will you kindly leave, I have better things to do.”

Boreus’s eyes were aflame with anger and he puffed up his chest before speaking again.

“Do you not realize who this is for? This is for the savior of our beloved Princess Falca.”

“I realize that, but I will not strain the royal coffers any further. Now, I’ll say it again, will you kindly leave?”

Boreus stared at the other griffin with a raised eyebrow.

“Strain the coffers? I am Princess Falca’s personal butler, and I know for a fact that the royal coffers should have enough wealth saved up to create another Horaca. Surely a private library isn’t too much to ask for?”

“I take orders from the king, not the alien. If he is not satisfied with all the wealth he’s being gifted with, then he can go begging to the king, not the royal treasury. We have funded everything required to give him a comfortable home, and we will not provide more than what’s mandatory.”

I tried to see if I could persuade him myself.

“Mr. Vax, please try to see that the library will go far in helping-,”

“Enough! Do I have to spell it out for you? If you want the blasted library, go beg to the king for it. Not. To. Me. Now I will say this only one more time. Leave!”

……

“Statement: That haughty little meatbag could use a lesson in respect master.”

“On that we most certainly agree on. The nerve of that little twat,” Boreus said to HK.

We were walking to the main dining hall for breakfast, hoping that King Grinnail would be there to settle this library situation. I sensed the hate that Vax had for me, it wasn’t common, but there were a few griffins in the castle that hated me. Most griffins in the castle loved me for saving Falca, and they respected me for slaying the Aper Major. Nevertheless, there were some griffins that hated me for all the riches that were heading my way. There was the occasional court advisor that thought that King Grinnail was being too generous to a foreigner like me, and Vax seemed to be one of them. I don’t blame them really, they probably worked their whole lives in service to the king, and the alien is probably getting more than they ever will.

“Don’t worry about it guys, Vax can be resistant to us as much as he wants. What matters is that the King can order him to do what we want, and I’m sure that King Grinnail will agree to the necessity of a library.”

Boreus nodded his head in agreement before sighing.

“I just wish we didn’t have to bother his majesty with something as trivial this.”

We had just reached the dining hall, and opened the doors to only find Falca eating alone. The red gel covering her wing and hind leg were gone and it signified that she was healed. She seemed much more alive now that she didn’t need a nurse to escort her around the castle. She raised her head to smile and greet us.

“Good morning! How is everyone today?”

Boreus moved to stand next to his mistress while I took my seat opposite of Falca on the table. A server came out of a side room with my breakfast as I answered Falca’s question.

“It could be going better. Is your father going to be joining us? We need his help with the library.”

“He’s too busy with preparations for the announcement. Takada’s helping as well and she won’t be joining us either. Why don’t you tell me, maybe I can help?

……

Jack told me how Vax refused to adjust the budget and how he said he’ll only adjust it if the order came from my father. I wasn’t too surprised by Vax’s anger towards Jack, but I didn’t think he would bother acting up over something so trivial. He probably knew that Jack was going to get permission for the library sooner or later, but he wanted to puff up his feathers and show that the new Warden can’t give him orders. It was a misplaced use of pride, and it cannot be tolerated. Jack is too important.

“Let me take care of it. You just continue with your training for today and I’ll get you the library.”

“Thanks Falca, I really appreciate it. Your family has already given me so much, are you sure I’m not stepping out of line for asking this?” he asked with a worried look.

“You’re fine Jack, a little library isn’t going to cost us anything. I said I was going to make you the happiest alien in the world, remember?

He smiled at my words as he enjoyed the rest of his breakfast and we spent the rest of our time talking about his world. This morning’s topic was on the mythologies of his world and how my species was viewed in some cultures. I still found it bewildering on how creatures from an entirely different universe could have myths on my species. Some of the stories he recalled were actually pretty accurate, and it seemed that humans got it right a few times when they told tales on how griffins loved gold. I was even a little flattered that they considered my species as gallant creatures worthy of being symbols of nobility. As soon as we finished, Jack was off to the grounds to hone his skills while I was off to meet with a stubborn bookkeeper about a library.

This meeting will also serve another purpose as well. The royal treasurer will be a test to see how much influence I had left. With my utter failure against the Aper Major, I now had to get busy in saving as much political power I could. Only the members of House Hialla knew of the events that transpired in the past week, and the minor members all sent me letters wishing me good health along with terminations to any partnerships we once had. Most were delicate in their wording, while others outright told me that I would receive none of their votes in my bid to become queen. Some were even bold enough to call me a disgrace for allowing myself to be defeated by the beast that symbolized our House.

After years of hard work to challenge Takada’s claim to the throne, all that effort was washed away after I read letter after letter. They’re all likely to give their support to Takada, and will try to gain her favor before she takes the throne. It hurt a little to be abandoned so thoroughly, and despite father’s warning, it didn’t prepare me for hopelessness I felt. The only ones in House Hialla who would support me now would be my uncle and the minor nobles from the Summer Island. However, their support would hardly be enough and I’d be lucky to even get half of the votes I lost before father steps down. The only way I’ll be able to shape the politics of my home in the future is to begin establishing a power base that my sister will have to listen to when she takes the throne. As Lady of the Summer Island, I speak for the interests of the inhabitants of the island in the monarch’s court while the Governor, my uncle, runs the island. While already a powerful position, Lady of the Summer Island is not enough to intervene in all the decisions my elder sister was likely to make.

Takada, I’ll admit, is a great leader. She worked hard to earn her position as an admiral in our Navy. She is the only one to have any success against the pirates that plague our waters, and she can easily inspire the masses with her words. Nevertheless, she is single minded and hardly ever opens herself to other ideas on how to run a kingdom. Her goals for the Shattered Isles were simple and few, focus more on building our military and decrease our dependency on Equestria. Takada dislikes how we use Celestia as a shield against House Ridara and wants to abolish the agreement our great grandmother made with her after the Civil War. When the war was over and the territorial lines were drawn, my great grandmother agreed to mothball most of our military fleet in exchange for Equestria’s protection against possible threats. This allowed House Hialla to rebuild what it had lost from the war much faster than House Ridara did, and our kingdom has continued to grow economically stronger since we didn’t have to channel our gold into the defenses of our territory. It’s been nearly two centuries since the war, and Takada thinks it’s time that we better our defenses since House Ridara insists on flexing it’s muscles.

Takada thinks I’m naïve in thinking that Celestia will fully invest herself in defending us if a war was to ever happen again. She’s hardly had any contact with Celestia and her ponies, and it was enough to convince her that Celestia only cares about pony interests. Hardly half of the ponies even know that the griffins had a civil war, but I think Takada underestimates how much influence our kingdom has on Equestria. Barely a decade after the war, Equestria started to build its largest city, Manehattan. Our trading fleet shipped most of the steel and concrete needed to build that city. By the beginning of my father’s reign, Manehattan became a metropolis and it was only made possible by the griffins of our kingdom. Our kingdom was also the most popular trade route between Equestria and the zebra lands beyond the sea. Equestria stood to lose much if we were ever to fall, and I still could not understand why Takada never saw this. If my sister went ahead with her plans, it could halt our booming economic progress.

Which is why I needed to be more than just Lady of the Summer Island, I need more contacts, spies, and more allies if I was to mitigate whatever damage my sister may bring when she becomes queen. Although, I suppose I could support my elder brother Thistle in his claim to the throne, but he had no more interest in it than Hyde did. He's more concerned with his businesses and clients than the ruling of a kingdom. It has to be me to question Takada's decisions, and I’ll start regaining my power by getting the royal treasurer on my side.

I entered Vax’s office after asking his assistant, and he got out of his desk to bow to me as I sat on one of his guest cushions.

“Good morning Mr. Vax, please, take your seat. We have much to discuss, but first, how are you enjoying your work as royal treasurer. I understand you’ve only had the position for six months correct?”

“Indeed your highness, and yes, I’ve enjoyed my work immensely. I am honored that King Grinnail would consider one as young as me and I hope to not disappoint him. So, what brings your highness to my humble office?”

‘Time to see how much influence I have left.’

“I would like to discuss the library our new Warden seeks. He is new to our lands and he’ll need the library in order to better protect the kingdom. I would consider it a personal favor, if you were to skip the bureaucracy with my father, and add more funds based on my approval. My father is likely to approve of the library anyway. Can you do this for me?”

Vax looked at me uneasily as he replied.

“I would love to your highness, but the king must be the one to approve of the funds. I hope you understand.”

‘And there it is, that’s how little influence I have now.’

A week ago, before my loss to the Aper Major, griffins like Vax would be jumping out of their seats to help me because of my chances to claim the throne. But now, there’s not too much to be gained from helping a failed princess. However, I have other ways for getting him to work with me. I sighed at his response before speaking again.

“I understand, and House Hialla thanks you for your dedication to my father. Oh well, I guess the new Warden will have to wait. By the way, I understand that you are friends with my cousin Enyo from the Summer Island. I rarely get to see her when I work, how’s she been doing lately?”

He smiled now that I moved on from the library topic.

“Lady Enyo is doing great your highness, especially since your uncle got her a new dress. She just loves to show off all the diamonds imbedded into it whenever she leaves the house. Secretly, she tells me she wears it just to make beautiful griffins like you jealous.”

We both shared a laugh at my cousin’s antics before I continued the conversation.

“You know, my cousin must have a lot of trust in you.”

“Oh I don’t know about that your highness, I think her reasons for wearing the dress are more common knowledge than you think.”

“But she must, after all, she does allow you into her chambers at midnight does she not?”

Vax’s demeanor changed drastically and he waited a few moments before responding to my question.

“Lady Enyo sometimes asks me to help in your uncle’s tax policies on the Summer Island. I often help her work from dusk till dawn.”

“She must be very glad that you take the time to help her, 'from dusk till dawn'," I said as I got up to lock his office door. Vax was starting to get very nervous and I took notice of a particular scent in his office.

“Ahh, jasmine, such a wonderful scent. Enyo always loved that smell, even when she was a little cub. I think she got it from her mother.”

I started to walk around Vax’s office feigning interest in all the stacks of office folders and file cabinets. Vax didn’t respond to my statement so I continued.

“From what I understand, she helped you obtain your position as royal treasurer after she gave my father a glowing recommendation on your skills with math and experience with accounting, did she not?”

“That she did your highness.”

There was no doubt that Vax was a skilled accountant. He earned his positon as my uncle’s accountant for a few years after he retired from his first tour with the navy when he was 19. When he turned 23, a year younger than I am currently, he became the royal treasurer after Enyo praised his skills. My spies on the Summer Island however, told me that Enyo may have other reasons for giving him her commendation.

“Tell me, did my cousin offer her recommendation before or after you laid with her in her bed?”

“Wh-what?” He asked startled.

“Have you ever given any thought to what my uncle would say if he ever found out that you’ve been bedding his little cub?”

My uncle was notorious for how protective he was of Enyo. The last boy who sought out her affections lost a talon when he touched her affectionately. Doctors managed to reattach the limb but he never sought out Enyo again. Vax looked like he was on the verge of panic when I looked at him and his eyes showed that he was desperately searching for an excuse.

“It’s not my fault!” he pleaded to me.

“Did she take you against your will? I thought a former member of the Navy could defend himself from a pretty little thing like Enyo.”

“Your uncle, when I was under his employ, he told me told me to obey him, his wife, and daughter in every way.”

“Did he tell you to fuck his daughter’s brains out too?”

He got up out of his chair so fast that he caused a small tear in his suit, but he didn’t even notice. He grasped his desk and stared at me with pleading eyes.

“I only meant that did as I was ordered to. She told me she was lonely one night and asked me to come her room. I had no choice but to obey her.”

“Do you expect me to believe that you hated EVERY moment of it?”

His beak was slack and he didn’t come up with a response, so I continued.

“A high place in court, a dream job, my cousin’s legs spreading open for you at night. Oh yes, you poor boy, it must have been terrible,” I said sarcastically.

Vax seemed to find the floor much more interesting and I turned to leave his office as I told him one more thing.

“I wonder what my uncle will think of this when I tell him.”

Vax leaped from his desk and splayed himself over his office floor to beg to me.

“Mercy, mercy your highness plea-,”

“Save it for my Uncle, he loves it when they grovel.”

“I-I’ll do whatever you want your highness, please, I’ll do anything!”

I paused as my talons touched the door handle and I slowly turned back to the desperate griffin.

“Yes, I think you will.”

“Your highness?”

“You heard me.”

I got him back on his paws and dusted off his suit with my talons.

“You are going to do whatever I want. Unless we want to find out what my uncle will do to a griffin that put their dick inside his daughter. After he ripped the talon off the last one, I wonder what else he'll rip off of you.”

“Yes, yes I’ll do what you want," he said frantically.

I pointed him back to his office chair and I retook my place on the guest cushion.

“First off, you’re going to provide the funds necessary to build a library in the Warden’s Stronghold. Second, you’re going to remember these three words every time the Warden asks you something. Share the wealth. Repeat it back to me.”

“Share the wealth,” he repeated.

“Very good, now one last thing. When my sister becomes queen, and let’s be honest, after my failure she’s definitely going to become queen. You are going to report to me first on all the transactions she makes with the royal coffers. Do these three things, and I swear I won’t tell a soul about your relationship with Enyo.”

“Yes your highness,” he said as quickly as he could.

‘I don’t want to control him with just blackmail. Let’s give him something to look forward to.’

“Do you actually like my cousin Mr. Vax, or is she just a tool you used in becoming royal treasurer? Be honest with me.”

He shyly turned his head away and rubbed his shoulder before answering.

“At first, I thought it was just about sex. But then she went and got me this job, and I didn’t even ask her for it. She’s caring and beautiful, and I really like seeing her smile. I would have actually tried to officially court her if I wasn’t afraid of her father.”

“Say no more. Alright Mr. Vax, I have a proposition for you. After you prove your loyalty to me for a year or two. I’ll convince my uncle to go easy on possible suitors to his daughter and recommend you to him myself. We have plenty of low-born members in House Hialla, and I’m sure we’ll be happy to marry in a new one. In the meantime, try to remain discreet when you go visit Enyo on Friday nights and work on your attitude towards foreigners. Do you accept my proposal?”

“Yes! Of course, thank you your highness I won’t disappoint you.” He said shaking his head up and down vigorously.

I got up and unlocked the door to leave.

……

I walked onto the castle grounds to see a crowd of off-duty guards watching something in front of Jack’s ship. They stepped aside when they saw me coming and I saw what they were all staring at. Jack was practicing blindfolded with his blade again and it was an astonishing display of blade work. His black and red blade of light hissed through the air and struck a metal dummy that somehow absorbed the blows at key points. I sat there amazed by his skill until the droid known as HK-55 stepped up with a dozen floating spheres. The machine pointed his weapon at Jack and fired bolts of light along with the rest of the spheres.

Jack switched stances and moved rapidly to intercept dozens of impossibly fast projectiles. Jack seemed to be fading in and out of existence as he moved with unmatched agility and deflected each projectile up into the sky or into the ground despite his lack of sight. To a griffin, being unable to track the movements of anything was almost unheard of. Griffins and pegesi had eyes and reaction times that were unmatched, this trait was needed in order to properly fly at the speeds we were capable of. If Jack could move in speeds that not even griffins could track, it was a testament to how much he’s worth to this kingdom.

It’s been said that the greatest blade masters to walk Eques were Celestia and Luna. I would bet my wings that Jack would be more than a challenge for them. His magic was also something to admire as well. At night, sometimes I’d see him levitate his gargantuan ship in the air while levitating himself and multiple objects at the same time. Father was right, he is an investment worth the time and gold.

After a minute of deflecting dozens of projectiles, he finished by deflecting a bolt into each sphere and one into HK-55’s mechanical hand. The machine moved rapidly after being disarmed and sprinted at Jack with impressive speeds while carrying a knife concealed in its arm. Jack deactivated his blade and met the machine with nothing but his fists. Jack intercepted strikes from the machine’s fist with an open palm while dodging and weaving from the fist that held the knife. He intercepted kicks from HK with kicks of his own and it almost seemed like they were dancing to a violent rhythm. As the fight dragged on, HK performed a feint with his knife hand before he tossed the knife into the air and grabbed it with his other one. He drove the knife towards Jack’s neck and Jack moved to intercept it with his hand.

At first, I thought he was going to impale his hand with the knife, but he instead caught HK’s wrist. The blade was barely a hair away from his neck, and Jack used his hold on HK’s wrist to turn around and flip the machine over himself. The machine now laid its back on the ground, and after hearing the twisting of metal, the knife was now in Jack’s hands and he poised the knife directly over HK’s neck. Everything was still as Jack’s blindfolded eyes stared into the red glowing eyes of the machine, until HK broke the silence with his voice.

“Congratulatory: Well done master, this concludes close combat simulation number 22.”

Jack smiled and offered his free had to HK to pick him up. HK accepted the hand with his unbroken one and stood up to calmly take back the knife and placed it back in the hidden compartment in his wrist.

“Statement: I’ll perform repairs on the ship while you continue your drills master.”

I don’t know how long I stood there, but it felt like hours. Jack continued to practice his forms and deflected many more bolts. By the time he stopped, he was covered with sweat. His chest heaved up and down as he caught his breath and he drank some water out of a goblet to hydrate. I never realized how exceptional his physique was now that I saw him with some of his armor off. His build was something that would make even a minotaur jealous. My eyes remained transfixed to his muscles as droplets of sweat traveled down his red skin and, for some reason, I couldn’t look away.

I was finally broken out of my trance when he took off the blindfold and I looked around to find all the off duty guards gone and back to work. Jack coughed to get my attention and I looked back at him with a smile and a clap of my talons. He made an overly dramatic bow and I chuckled at his antics. He smiled back to me before he spoke.

“Did you enjoy the show Falca?”

At first, I panicky thought he meant the moment when I stared at his body, but I quickly realized that he meant his display of blade work.

“It was… simply amazing. How do you do all that?”

He placed his hands behind his back as he spoke.

“With the Force, I can enhance my body to allow it to move past its physical limits and perform the feats you just saw. I can predict where projectiles will land before they can even leave their blaster’s, and my mind will instinctively find the proper placement of my lightsaber each time. The Force is also how I can see without my eyes.”

I was starstruck after his explanation and he chuckled when I felt the bottom of my beak drop. I swiftly regained control of my beak and tried to display some measure of composure. Jack looked like he just remembered something and spoke to me again.

“I have something for you on my ship. Come with me and I’ll show you.”

Not seeing any harm in it, I followed him onto the ship and into a room filled with crates and a massive locker. He gently opened the doors of his locker and quickly brought out a large book from inside before closing it. He walked up to me with a smile and offered me the book. When I took it, I found that the cover was written with a strange arcane writing I couldn’t interpret. I opened the book to find words I could understand in its pages and I looked back up to him with a questioning look.

“Boreus told me that you liked books like these.”

‘Oh Ancestors, Boreus didn’t tell him about that, did he?’

“He told me that you like to read about history and I thought you’d like to read this. It’s a translated collected history of the Sith and their Empire.”

I sighed in relief as I realized that my faith in Boreus wasn’t misplaced.

‘For a second I thought he meant something else.’

“Thank you Jack, I do love reading history, but why are you giving me this? Is it a human custom to just give gifts at random?”

“No not really, you just seemed sad about something and I thought you could use something to take your mind off it. I won’t pry, but if you’ve been sad about me taking away your only chance to be queen, I’m truly sorry and I hope this gift helps me preserve our friendship. In the video game I got it from, it was one of the highest level gifts you could receive after completing a boss fight. ”

I stared down at the book and I couldn’t comprehend how he could be this nice.

‘Why is he apologizing to me? I’m the one who brought him into my fight with the Aper Major. Oh Jack you’re too sweet.’

“Jack, don’t ever apologize for saving my life. Thank you so much for the book, I’ll never forget this.”

……

I was hidden behind a castle wall turret in full armor as King Grinnail, Falca, and Takada addressed the thousands of griffins outside the castle’s walls through a microphone stand. King Grinnail was telling everyone how a mysterious alien saved Falca and defeated the Aper Major that threatened the stability of the Islands. Falca told them about the battle between the beast and me while Takada told them about how I used a ship that widely surpassed every know airship in Eques. It was all grand and embarrassing to hear them embellish me, but I appreciated their words nonetheless. Then King Grinnail told them about how I accepted the position as their Warden, and I could hear their gasps of astonishment at the news.

It was about time for me to present myself and I used Satele Shan’s meditation techniques to calm myself. The king raised his talons towards me and beckoned me to take his place next to the microphone. I slowly walked out and was taken aback by the sheer mass of griffins.

‘Was the whole city out here? No wonder it took a whole week to organize this.’

There were more gasps of astonishment at my appearance and I felt through the Force to gage their reactions to me. I felt curiosity overcome the crowd and detected a few hints of fear here and there, but it was mostly just open curiosity. I was strange and new to them and I tried to remember what I wanted to say to them as I removed my helmet.

“My name is Jack Krieger, and it’s honor to be here. I must admit, its overwhelming to see so many griffins out here to see me. I’m also honored that you would take time out of your schedules just to be out here.

I paused and sensed a bit of warmth from the crowd before continuing.

“Like King Grinnail said, I’ve taken the position as Warden of The Isles. I take this title not because I feel like I deserve it, but because of the gratitude I feel for the griffins of the Shattered Isles. You gave me a home when I was lost and alone. I will serve you all with the best of my abilities and I am determined to not let you down. I look forward to getting to know the inhabitants of this beautiful kingdom.”

I felt like my speech was a little short so I decided to end it with a little fanfare. I took the hilt of my lightsaber into my gauntlet and raised it above my head before pressing the activation button. The black and red energy blade enthralled the crowd and they began to cheer. The emotions I felt from all of them were of pure excitement as they cried out to me.

“Thank you for saving our Falca!”

“Thank you for saving us from the star beast!”

“All hail the new Warden!”

“All hail the Warden!”

……

I was back on the castle grounds with Falca, Takada, and their father. King Grinnail patted me on the back with his wing before speaking.

“You handled yourself very well out there.”

“Thank you my king, I’m actually kinda surprised that I won them over that well.”

“At times like these, people need to know that there are individuals out there who are protecting them from threats they cannot fight. You inspired the griffins out there and that is cause for a celebration. But before anything else happens today, I must tell you something.”

“What is it my king?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He smiled and I dared to hope.

“I have news about your sister. We found her, she is serving a punishment in a little town called Ponyville.

Author's Note

Falca played a more significant role in this chapter. The reason for this is to help establish her character because she'll play a significant role in the future.

As always, I hope you enjoyed.

8) Reunited

‘I need to see if Vigilant can get me a rubber ducky.’

I was giving myself a relaxing hot bubble bath in my new bathroom to start off the morning. It was a surreal experience trying to wash yourself when you’re not even familiar with your own body. I still had most of the key features of a human woman, but the scales, gills, and fins on my new body even made simple bathing an adventure. I discovered that when my body is fully immersed in water, my hands and feet will undergo a metamorphosis and turn into webbed appendages. The thin tissue between my fingers and toes startled me when I had my first bath, but I grew to accept them and even enjoyed the unique experience.

I just finished getting some of the grime between my scales with a bath brush and allowed myself to sink beneath the soapy waters. My webbed feet were the only appendages sticking out at the edge of the tub and I interlocked my fingers behind my head to enjoy the warm water encompassing me. The gills slits around my neck, that weren’t blocked off by the collar, provided me with enough oxygen and I could stay immersed in the water for as long as I wanted. Twilight and I tested my gills during one of our research sessions, and I can apparently breathe in any body of water. Salt water from the sea? I can breathe it. Clear water from a river? I can breathe it. A fish bowl filled with nothing but soda? Ok I can’t breathe that, but me and Pinkie were curious one night. I coughed up the soda and it took forever to get the stickiness out of my gills and hair. I knew it was stupid to try, but my body is made out of magic now and I wanted to test everything that came to mind.

I stared at the bubbles on the surface of the water for a while and enjoyed the light filtering thru them. It was almost hypnotizing and I started to fall asleep until I felt something tickling my feet above the water. I arched my feet at the annoying feeling as I tried to sleep, but the tickling wouldn’t end. After a minute, I was fully awake and a giggle escaped my lips underneath the water. Then I became alert as I realized that something was in my bathroom. My head burst out of the water to find Pinkie Pie poking my feet with her hoof and I immediately tried to cover myself with the bubbles to hide my body before I let her know my displeasure.

“PINKIE!! What are you doing in my bathroom!?” I screamed.

She gave me her happiest grin before taking a deep breath and explained away in rapid succession.

“I came to give you some cupcakes you left last night after your Welcome to Ponyville party. When I knocked on your door and you didn’t answer, I looked thru the kitchen window to see if anypony was home. Then I saw a light coming from the bathroom door and I knew you must be home. I thought it was odd that you didn’t hear the knocking, so I checked to see if the door was unlocked before I let myself in. At first I was just going to leave the cupcakes on the dining table with a note, but then I thought I should try and let you know I was here by knocking on the bathroom door. When you still didn’t answer, I got worried and tried to call out to you. Still nothing! Then I opened the bathroom door a crack to see if you were okay. You weren’t moving in the tub and I was worried that you were hurt or something. So I poked you to see if you would move. But now I see that I was just being silly, so sorry about that.”

She at least had the courtesy to look embarrassed at the end of her explanation. I sighed as I realized that my bath would have to be cut short.

‘I’ll have to make sure that the door is locked at all times from now on. Darn it, I can’t get mad at that cute little face.’

“It’s okay Pinkie just don’t do it again. Wait in the kitchen, I’ll be out in a minute.”

Pinkie hopped out the bathroom while closing the door and I got out of the tub to rub myself down with a towel. I blow-dried my hair with a hair dryer that Rarity let me borrow and I put on the only set of clothes I had. Once I put on the tank top and blue jeans, my hands and feet reverted back into their normal forms and I walked out into the kitchen to find Pinkie waiting for me. A tray of cupcakes with blue frosting sat on the dining table and I stored them in the fridge for a later date. I took out some oranges and prepared to make juice with them as I asked Pinkie what her plans were for the day. Seems like it was going to be a regular day working for the Cakes, but at night she said she was planning a party for somepony new coming to town. She had no idea who it was, but her Pinkie Sense told her that someone was coming.

“So what are you going to do today?” Pinkie asked me.

“Don’t know, Vigilant hasn’t come by yet. I’m sure there’s something for me to do today. By the way, that was a great party last night. I’m surprised I was allowed to even have a party, since I’m technically a ‘prisoner’ here in Ponyville,” I said as I finished juicing the oranges and poured the juice into two glasses I pulled from a cabinet.

Pinkie struck a rebellious pose by standing on her hind legs and placed her front hooves on her flanks. Even though her anatomy should be disagreeing with her right now, she kept the pose and radiated confidence.

“Hmpf, the law can’t stop Pinkamena Diane Pie from giving her friends the best parties. Ever since I got to know Zecora, I’ve made it my mission to make sure that all newcomers to Ponyville feel welcomed.”

I giggled at Pinkie’s display and handed her a glass of orange juice. She grasped it with her hooves and we simply enjoyed each other’s company for a couple minutes. I realize though that the only reason I was permitted a party was because my handler Vigilant Star allowed it. He kept an eye on me throughout the entire party and rarely engaged with the dozens of guests. The party was hosted by the Cakes and several ponies stopped by to party with the infamous but oddly unfrightening Dread Fish.

I had just finished the orange juice when I heard a knock on the front door in the living room. I opened it to find Vigilant Star waiting for me outside.

“Are you ready to start the day? The Sisterhooves Social is today, and we could use your muscle to help set it up.”

“Sure, just let me get my boots on.”

Pinkie popped up behind my shoulder and waved to the sergeant

“Hi Mister Star! Did you enjoy your welcome cake last night?”

Vigilant was surprised by Pinkie’s appearance, and he tried to calmly wave back. I could tell that he seemed a bit irked by her appearance in my home.

“The cake was very good Ms. Pie, but I thought I told you and everypony else last week about this. Any who wish to have a meeting with Undyne in her home must schedule an appointment with me first.”

“I know, but I came to deliver her cupcakes, not have a meeting with her.”

“A delivery is still a- never mind, just talk to me first whenever you come to her home alright."

“Okie dokie loki”

I got ready to go and I said my goodbyes to Pinkie. As she hopped away, me and Vigilant discussed how I could help prepare the Social.

……

Hours later…

Princess Celestia sat on her throne tending to her workload for the day. A representative from Cloudsdale was explaining to her the need to change the scheduled weather for a few select weeks, until a letter popped into existence next to her. She at first thought it was a letter from her faithful student, but the seal signified that it was a letter from the griffins of House Hialla. She unrolled the letter and was curious to see what her allies among the griffins had to say.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I urge you to make haste to the town of Ponyville immediately. We found Undyne’s brother and we told him of the trial you had for his sister.

He is not happy.

He has the means to get from my Isles to your Ponyville in less than a few minutes. I don’t have enough time to explain everything in this letter, just get to Ponyville so we can avoid a potential disaster. I swear I’ll explain everything there.

Your Friend and Colleague,
King Grinnail

Celestia was off the throne and rushing down the dais the second she read the last of Grinnail’s words.

……

“HK, how far are we now?”

“Answer: We should be arriving at our destination in less than 2 minutes master,” HK-55 said from the co-pilot’s seat of the Fury. Water and land quickly passed underneath us as the Fury flew faster than the speed of sound.

I was pacing around the bridge of my ship as emotions ran wild within my mind. I was overjoyed at the thought of seeing Katy again, but I was angry at the thought of her being held prisoner. I was eager to see the ponies from the TV show, but I also felt betrayed by what they’ve done to my sister. King Grinnail told me everything he knew about what Katy has been through since she landed in Canterlot, and it left me with questions I needed answers to. Why did she rampage around Canterlot? Why was she sent to Ponyville? Why did the ponies label her as a goddamn animal!? I knew I wouldn’t be able to calm down unless I saw my sister and she answered these questions.

My pacing extended to the hallway leading back to the common area of the ship. Falca and King Grinnail were sitting comfortably on one of the leather couches surrounded by a host of guards. Grinnail handed an inkwell and quill to one of his guards and I saw Falca giving me a worried look. I subtly touched her mind and found that she was concerned I would hurt someone if I didn’t like the answers I receive when we got to Ponyville.

‘She’s not wrong, someone’s going to pay for this insult my sister had to endure. To be collared and called an animal… I need names and targets to channel this anger on.’

Grinnail told me everything he learned from the Equestrian newspapers and his contacts in Equestria. The media told him how Katy wreaked havoc across Canterlot while his ambassador and other contacts told him about the public trial and the punishment made after the private hearing. Grinnail couldn’t give me a definitive answer on as to why a collar was made necessary, but he ordered me to not jump to conclusions until we received a full explanation.

‘Just got the job and he’s already giving his Warden orders. Gahh… ok, ok, calm down Jack, it’s a reasonable request. After all, I represent a kingdom now, I have a responsibility to show restraint in a foreign country. Especially in an allied country.’

I was brought out of my thoughts when Falca spoke up.

“Jack I know you must have a lot on your mind, but try to focus on what’s really important. You are going to see your sister again, so try to think about just that. Think about all the things you want to tell her since you arrived on this world. Worry about all the negatives till after the happy family reunion.”

“(sigh)… Ok, I’ll try Falca. This anger I’m feeling is preventing me from being happy. It’s only been a week, but it feels like I’ve been separated from my sister for years,” I replied just as HK's voice sounded off from the ship intercom and startled the griffins.

“Statement: We have arrived master, locating a suitable landing zone. Error. I require your presence on the bridge master.”

I rushed to the bridge and HK told me what was wrong

“Frustration: I have located 26 suitable landing sites on the outskirts of this Ponyville with the scanners. However, none of them offer any suitable defensible positions should we need to make a quick emergency extraction of the target.”

“Query: Would you like me to place the ship on a vulnerable landing site anyway master?”

“Keep looking, and if you still can’t find one, land the ship on the site that at least has some cover. But I’m not staying on this ship a moment longer, open the exit ramp and pass us over the town.

……

“Thank ya very much youngster, I’m sure Big Mac here appreciates the help,” Granny Smith said as Macintosh and I placed the last of the huge hay bales in their proper places for the race.

“Y’all deserve a pick-me-up for your hard work today.”

Granny passed around some apple juice to everyone who worked on the set up for the Sisterhooves Social. We were almost done setting up everything and I sat down on one of the hay bales to enjoy my drink. Big Mac sat down next to me and we quietly enjoyed each other’s company. Vigilant Star stood off in the distance keeping an eye on me and I waved to him to let him know I was fine. I was almost finished with my drink when I saw Big Mac tense in my peripheral vision.

“What is it Big Mac? Something wrong?”

“Eeyup,” he replied while pointing his hoof towards something in the sky.

A black speck in the sky was heading towards the town and it was moving fast. The speck’s features were beginning to become more discernable and I realized that it was a ship. A very familiar ship. Its engines roared overhead and it dropped something as it passed over the center of town. I squinted my eyes to see what it dropped and I saw something that vaguely looked humanoid. My heart stopped as I realized who it could be.

“Jack”

I was off the hay bale and sprinting towards the center of town as soon as the realization dawned on me. I noticed that Vigilant called out to me, but I didn’t care. I had just passed one of Ponyville’s many cottages when the humanoid object finally hit the ground and I began to panic.

‘No no no no,’ I thought as I imagined my little brother splattered all over the ground.

By the time I reached the center of Ponyville, a crowd of ponies was gathered around where the object had landed and I forced myself to move faster. I pushed my way through the crowd as soon as I reached them and I heard Rainbow Dash’s voice echo out from the center.

“Just who do you think you are? You’ve got a lot of nerve if you think you can go wherever you want after the mess you made. Who are you and what do want with Undyne? Cause if you’re here to hurt her you’ll have to go thru me!” Dash shouted passionately.

“I don’t have time for this, just get out of my way! KATY, are you here!? KATY!”

The voice sounded demonic, but there was a trace of something familiar to it. I've listened to his voice long enough to recognize it despite the changes. I pushed through enough of the crowd to see someone standing in the middle of a crater. A tall, intimidating figure dwarfed both me and the ponies surrounding him. He was covered from head to toe with black and white armored robes I remember helping him make. The red glowing eyes from his helmet focused on me as soon as I pushed thru the last row of ponies, and I stared back up at him.

Everything was silent as we stood there staring at each other. He took a step towards me, and I took a step towards him. Feelings of hope and joy dominated my mind the more I stared at the tall man. The demonic voice emitting from his helmet broke the silence.

“Katy?”

“Jack?” I replied.

He grasped his helmet and I heard the release of air pressure as he took off the helmet and revealed his face. I was…stunned, no…overwhelmed. What I expected to be my brother’s young and unlined face, was actually the face of a blood red, chiseled Sith. His golden eyes stared at mine for a few more moments, and I saw tears threating to break past his eyelids. He spoke again, this time without the demonic tone, and it wiped away the feeling of being overwhelmed in an instant.

“Big Sis”

“Little bro”

We ran towards each other and he had his arms open wide, ready to embrace me with a hug. As soon as he got close to me, I punched him square in the jaw and sent him reeling.

“OWWW! What was that for?” He said while rubbing his jaw.

“That was for scaring the crap out of me earlier, I thought you were going to get yourself killed when I saw you jumping out of the ship. Okay, now that it’s out of my system, come give your big sister a hug!”

He gave me a stupid grin and hugged the life out of me. He was much taller than me now, and my feet left the ground as we twirled around the crater. Happy to finally be reunited at last.

A sudden dizziness overcame me as Jack began to slow down and he let me back down on the ground. We still held each other’s hands, and I used him for support as the dizziness got worse. Jack didn’t look too good either, his eyes were glazed over as his shoulders slumped and I tried to ask him what was wrong.

“Jack what’s going-,”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence as I began to see nothing but shadows and I felt the ground hit my back.

……

“Wakey wakey you two, time to get up,” an elderly voice spoke in the darkness.

I opened my eyes to see only a dark void. Light peeked in my peripheral vision and I turned my head around to see that I was lying down on a bright white disk that kept me suspended in the void.

“Jack are you alright?” Katy’s voice called out to me.

I turned towards her voice and I saw my fish-like sister standing on another white disk. She was glaring at something with her one eye, and I turned to look at what she was staring at. I saw an elderly man in a dark purple business suit floating lazily in the void without a disk to keep him from falling. His black eyes stared at us as he grinned, and I answered Katy’s question.

“I’m fine, who’s the creepy old man?”

“Good question.” She responded.

Taking that as his que, the old man spoke to us both.

“Don’t you remember me? I’m the one who sent you both on the adventure of a lifetime.” Its form began to shape into a familiar little volus and I realized who I was taking to.

Rage flooded my mind, and I called on the Force to crush the little cretin’s neck. Nothing happened, and I let out a howl of rage as I tried to do everything I could to viciously kill the thing that took me away from my family. The volus turned into the voluptuous Morrigan, a witch from the Dragon Age series, and yawed at my feeble attempts to kill it.

“Don’t waste your time, we are within your mind, and you cannot kill what isn’t even here,” it said in a tired voice.

I tried to calm down as its words registered in my mind. I looked over at Katy, and saw that she too wanted nothing more than to throttle the entity that abducted us. I turned my attention back towards the entity, and found that it had changed forms again. Morrigan was gone and the entity took on the form of Darth Traya. An elderly woman in an old brown Jedi robe with long grey hair that laid across her shoulders in braids. Her eyes were milky white and she spoke with the same wizened voice she had from the video game.

“Take notice, while we may be speaking to each other at the speed of thought, time hasn’t stopped, and events are spiraling out of control as you stand there pointlessly glaring at me.”

…...

Time was moving slowly as brother and sister laid on the ground, holding each other’s hands. HK-55 stood over them protectively while waving a blaster rifle threateningly at a distraught Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Twilight and her friends were desperately trying to defuse the tense standoff as a crowd of ponies screamed around them. King Grinnail and Falca were flying as fast as they could towards the scene, and Falca was calling out desperately to Jack as she saw the Sith lying on the ground unmoving.

Unless something happened soon, violence was sure to ensue.

……

“How are we speaking in my mind,” I asked.

“We are speaking through that neural implant your Sith character had," it answered.

I rose an eyebrow in confusion.

"You played the game, don’t you remember Jack? Neural implants were an item you could equip onto characters so you could enhance their strength and abilities,” The fake Darth Traya explained.

I remembered the words NUERAL LINK DECTECTED on the lens of my helmet as I was falling in the void. The splitting headache I felt when I was transforming in the void made much more sense now. The fake Darth Traya continued to speak as soon as realization dawned on me.

“That implant is also why you have those foreign memories. It is how you are able to wield and use the lightsaber so masterfully, even though you’ve only trained with the blade for a week. You can remember the controls of the Fury, even though you never once stepped foot on a starship. The implant holds petabytes of memories from a real Lord Wrath in a universe where the Star Wars galaxy is a true reality. Besides store the memories, the implant also effectively activates and controls the nerves connected to the adrenal glands, giving you long lasting and controlled adrenaline rushes that augment your strength. Without that implant and the powers I gave you, you would never have been able to survive the Aper Major and save Falca.”

I remembered when the Aper Major was charging me and the paralyzing fear that gripped my mind when I thought I was going to die. Then I remembered the anger that swiftly swept my mind, and that anger allowed me to call upon the Dark Side. The implant must have helped me trigger my fight response, and it helped me push past my fear.

“I added an extra feature to the implant before I finished molding your new body, and it’ll disappear when this meeting is over. When the implant registered skin contact with Katy’s scales, it compelled you to activate a Force telepathic connection between you two and its allowing me to talk to you both. That punch Katy threw is why we are talking now,” It finished while moving its milky white eyes towards Katy.

Katy glanced at her hand before returning to glare at the fake Darth Traya.

“But why are you talking to us? Are you here just to taunt us? Do you expect us to thank you for turning us into what we are? What even are you?” Katy asked angrily.

The fake Darth Traya blinked before responding to the multiple questions.

“It seems I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. I am an individual that comes in many forms, and I have many names. However, most know me by this title, The Merchant. To answer your other questions, no, I’m not here to taunt you or expect thanks from you. I’m here to give you your tokens, and propose an offer.”

“What tokens?” I asked.

“These tokens,” The Merchant said as two bright flashes appeared in front of me and Katy. Floating in front of me was a pyramidal Sith holocron, while Katy had Undyne’s plated helmet in front of her.

“With these tokens, Displaced beings like you from across the multiverse will be able to summon you both to their Equestrian Universes. This goes both ways, you’ll also be able to summon them as well and they can aide you in your own struggles.”

Katy and I stared at the tokens for a few moments before I asked The Merchant another question.

“So we’ll be able to help others trapped in other universes like us?”

“Exactly, now I’ll tell you both about my offer. If either one of you chooses to accept this, you’ll be given the tokens and one of you will receive something a little extra. If neither of you accepts the offer, then I’ll take the tokens back.”

The Merchant snapped its wrinkled fingers, and a red heart appeared above Undyne’s helmet.

“The offer is both a blessing and a curse. Should you choose to accept the offer Katy, I will give you back your old human SOUL. It was difficult replacing your old SOUL with a boss monster one, but with your old SOUL and new monster body, you'll be a god among mortals. You’ll have no need to kill one of the ponies and share the power, when you can just use your own SOUL instead. However, there is the curse to consider. If you take your old SOUL, you’ll be forever bound to your token. If someone besides yourself were to hold your token, you’ll have no choice but to serve their every command. That includes the other Displaced who could hold copies of your token. You’ll have to obey them, but you’ll only have to obey other Displaced for 7 days or until they dismiss you back to your own universe. Your original token is the one you’ll have to worry about the most.”

“So I’d have godly amounts of power, but still be a slave to whoever held the token?” Katy asked with a hint of unease in her voice.

“Yes, now it’s your turn Jack.”

The Merchant snapped it's fingers again, and a shadowy holographic figure appeared above the Sith Holocron.

“Should you choose to accept the offer, I will give you the totality of knowledge from a powerful being within the Star Wars universe. This being was more powerful than either of those masters you found within the holocrons on the Fury. I offer you all the knowledge discovered about the Force from an Emperor that was once known as Tenebrae, Darth Vitiate, and later… Valkorion.”

The holographic figure cleared up and showed an old man in a white and ornately stylized armored attire with a dragon centered on his chest plate. The man was Emperor Valkorion, The Dragon of Zakuul.

“Along with all his knowledge comes the same curse as well. You’ll be a slave if anyone besides yourself holds your token.”

“A millennia of knowledge for possible servitude.” I mumbled, entranced by the offer.

Katy broke me out of the trance before I could make any decisions.

“Jack, don’t do anything stupid. We bought something from this guy once, and look what happened.”

‘She’s right’

“You can take your offer and tokens, and shove them up your ass. We don’t want anything from you, unless it’s a way back home,” I said pointing my finger at the bastard.

The Merchant stared at us with Darth Traya’s milky white eyes, and smirked when it spoke.

“Don’t you realize I’m already offering you a way back?”

“What?” Katy and I both asked confused.

“The tokens are a way to travel between universes. If you could learn to harness their power, you could use them to travel to any universe at will, and that includes your home universe. It may not be a direct path home, but it can be the beginning of one. So, are you sure you want me to take the tokens back? Cause once this conversation is over, we will never speak again.”

I stared at the Sith holocron that could be our only way back home. If I took it, I would have the knowledge to become as strong as one of the most powerful Force users in Star Wars history. All I had to do was keep the token out of anyone else’s hands and the curse will never be an issue. However, if this Merchant was giving us the choice in the first place, it must know something we don’t. Why place such a heavy price on this offer if you thought it may never be paid?

“One of you must reach out and take your token. Both tokens will be yours and the one who takes the token will be the only one to receive the blessing and curse. The offer has been made Jack and Katy Krieger, make your choice.”

I looked over at Katy and saw that she was thinking hard about this decision. Then I saw the collar she had around her neck. The collar the ponies used to label her as an animal, and forced her to work off her crimes. I stared at her for a few seconds and I knew I would do anything for my family. I love my sister, and I’ll not allow her to risk putting on another collar.

“Katy, if this is our only way home, then I’ll take the risk,” I said reaching towards the holocron.

“JACK! WAIT, this could be a trick, don-,” she screamed but it was already too late.

My hand grasped the Sith pyramid and Valkorion’s hologram was absorbed into the holocron, while the heart floating above Undyne’s helmet floated away and into the void. The helmet floated into Katy’s hands and she realized what I’d just done. The Merchant disappeared into the void along with the heart, but not before uttering a few more words.

“So, instead of breaking chains, the Sith binds chains onto himself. You are an interesting enigma Jack Krieger. From this day forth, your life is forever bound to that holocron. Enjoy your newfound knowledge, may it serve you well.

......

“Threat: The meatbags with the ridiculous hair will cease their attempts to apprehend my master and his sister, or the next stun bolt is going into one of their heads.”

The mechanical and modulated voice was the first thing my stimuli registered as I woke up from the hallucination my brother and I had to endure.

“They require medical attention immediately! We must bring them to a hospital, I assure you that our intentions are only benign.”

That had to be Celestia’s voice. I tried to fight through the sluggishness I’m feeling, and managed to open my one eye. I didn’t know how he could be here, but the infamous assassin droid was standing above me and he was pointing his rifle at Celestia and Luna.

“Retort: We have medical equipment of our own, our ship’s medical bay is more than suitable to their needs. I’ll not risk allowing my master to be taken into to the clutches of an unknown, no matter their intentions.”

“King Grinnail, can’t you order him to stand down?”

“It doesn’t matter what I say, he’ll only take orders from Jack,” an unfamiliar male voice replied.

“Please, can’t we talk about this?” Twilight said begging the assassin droid.

“Resolute: No,” he replied.

I had to say something before this situation got any worse.

“Wait,” my voice is weak but I continued to speak, “HK-55, that is you right? Me and Jack are fine, please put the blaster down before someone gets hurt.” The droid turned his attention away from Celestia to stare down at me.

“Astonishment: Ahh, so master’s sister is awake. Do not worry ma’am, the blaster is merely a safety precaution and is set to stun. No one will get hurt…much.”

“HK, please don’t shoot at the royalty again, I don’t think I have the stamina to deflect the bolts this time,” Jack’s voice drew both me and HK’s attention, and I turned my head to the side to see Jack trying to prop himself up on his elbows.

“Resignation: Very well master, (sigh), and I was actually looking forward to shooting something today.”

“Are you both okay? What happened to you two?” Luna asked with a worried look as she risked taking a few steps toward us. Before either of us could answer, a bright white light shined in our hands. In my right hand appeared Undyne’s helmet, a grey metal masterwork with a faceplate that resembled a row of brutal teeth and it had only one eyehole for my right eye. In Jack’s hand appeared a small red pyramid with elaborate symbols written on it’s sides. When I looked at the pyramid, I felt guilt clawing at my stomach at the thought that I couldn’t stop my brother from taking such a huge risk. I was also furious at him for making such a stupid decision, he knows that The Merchant screwed us over before, and I couldn’t fathom why he would even think to take the bastard’s offer. We both looked each other in the eye and we knew this was not the proper place for explanations. Jack nodded his head in a silent signal to let me handle this and I tried to get up. The sluggish feeling started to ebb away as I stood up and addressed the confused ponies and…griffins?

“Something happened that we need to talk about in private. It’s related to how we got here.” Celestia and Luna gave me knowing looks and Celestia turned to address the crowd.

“My little ponies, the situation has been resolved. Please, everypony go about their business for today’s Sisterhooves Social. Undyne has just been reunited with her brother, and I’m sure the two siblings would love to catch up.”

“That’s her brother!? He doesn’t look a thing like her,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she hovered above her friends. The Mane 6 were staring at Jack and I think he startled a few of them. Fluttershy, no surprise, hid behind her friends while Rarity and Twilight gaped at him with curious eyes. Pinkie Pie was jumping up and down with glee at the sight of my brother and I could tell that she was happy to see us finally reunited. Rainbow Dash and Applejack put on brave faces as Jack stood up to his full height and he gawked back at all of them.

“Looks can be deceiving Ms. Dash. Twilight, may we use your library? We have much to discuss in private,” Celestia said turning towards her faithful student.

“Of course Princess Celestia, please, right this way,” Twilight said leading the way through the dissipating crowd of ponies. Jack along with HK-55 and the griffins followed us thru the streets of Ponyville and I finally took the time to actually closely examine by brother’s new face. It was bewildering hearing his voice come from such an alien appearance and I let my curiosity get the better of me as I softly touched the bone spurs that protruded from his jaw. He raised an eyebrow at my intrusion of his personal space and he was expecting an explanation.

“Sorry, it just so… bizarre. My little bro is red and has little bones sticking out of him,” I said and he chuckled at my words.

“You look pretty weird yourself. My big sis is Undyne brought to life with blue scales and teeth that look like they could bite my hand off. Also, Celestia called you Undyne earlier, does that mean you’ve fully embraced your cosplay? Do you want me to call you the fearless Undyne from now on?”

“Nah, you can call me whatever you want.”

“Okay, Katy, does that mean I can go back to calling you Kitty again?” He said with a shiteating grin.

I took a deep breath before answering.

“Jack, don’t make me punch you again. I thought we agreed in 4th grade to never call me that again."

He raised his hands defensively and backed away a little bit before he answered.

“Okay, okay, jeez Katy, and here I thought the new body made a new you.”

As we were walking down the street I finally took notice of the griffins following us. They both had lion traits for their lower bodies with the young female dominantly having dark brown feathers and a few traces of faint yellow feathers in-between. The older male wore a purple scarf and had a bronze chestplate that blended well with his golden feathers. I asked Jack to introduce us.

“Oh right, Katy this is Princess Falca, my first friend in Eques. The older gentleman walking next to her is her father and my new boss, King Grinnail of the Shattered Isles. They gave me a home and they also helped me find you.” Jack told me an abbreviated version of what he’s done since he landed in Eques and we were close to Twilight’s library by the time he finished. I noticed that Celestia, Luna, and the other Mane 6 were listening along the way as well. I finally heard Falca’s voice when she added a little to the story.

“Your brother told us so much about you during one of our dinners at night. It’s an honor to finally meet you,” Falca said to me and her words caused a curious question to pop in my head.

“Ooouu, not only did you save a princess, you’re also taking her out to dinner. Way to score Jack,” I said elbowing my brother’s ribs. Jack’s face got even redder and he was stuttering as he tried to form a response. Falca tried to keep herself from looking bashful but strangely didn’t even try to deny my words.

“Katy I- you shouldn’t assume- I mean it's not, GAAAGH. Stop embarrassing me in front of my new friends,” he said with a pout.

“Well Mom’s not here to do it, so someone has to,” I said before sighing at how different our situations turned out since we started our new lives in this new world. “I’m really proud of you little bro. You saved a princess and got yourself a prestigious job, while all I did was tear thru a city and got myself in trouble...”

Jack’s face went from bashful to stern in a split second. I could tell he was very upset, and the air seemed to radiate his feelings. I felt cold as the heat from the sun seemed to vanish and Jack’s presence began to dominate everyone around us.

“Yeah, that reminds me, we need to talk about that,” the warmth from Jack’s voice was gone as he pointed at the collar that clasped my neck. His eyes travelled over to Celestia and Luna and I could tell that they felt the same dramatic drop in temperature. He gave them a look I recognized all too well, it was the same look he gave to people who dared to insult our family in front of him. Jack was extremely overprotective of what he considers family and his protective nature has gotten him into trouble more than once.

One time when I was a senior in high school and Jack was just starting as a freshmen, one of my old boyfriends called me a stupid bitch in the middle of the hallway. The asshole couldn’t understand why I moved on to someone who had a less financially successful family, and he felt the need to voice his frustration. Jack overheard this and despite being smaller than him, he smashed the asshole’s nose in, and nearly dislocated his right arm. Jack was very, very lucky he didn’t get expelled, and Mom chewed his ass about the whole thing. It wasn’t the first time he got violent over family, and it most certainly wasn’t the last time. He could be calm and diplomatic if he himself was the only one to receive all the verbal and physical abuse of others. But family is his trigger, if you hurt them, he’ll hurt you.

We all entered the Golden Oak Library and we all told our stories while HK-55 stood silently in a corner. Celestia, Luna, and I told Jack and his griffin friends every detail of what happened to me in the past week. Jack started to calm down when we told him about everything the princesses did to help me and the intense cold he somehow caused started to finally elevate a little. A few of the Mane 6 started to chime in and told him how well received I was in Ponyville. Pinky Pie told him how a lot of ponies warmed up to me after she threw a party for me. Rainbow Dash praised how awesome my magic was and how cool it was to see me training with Vigilant Star (Speaking of Vigilant, where is my handler?). Applejack said I was a huge help around her farm when Mayor Mare sends me to work my community hours there from time to time. Lastly, Twilight spoke of how I was such an amazing creature to study and told Jack how she loved discussing my magic with me. Jack took a deep breath after hearing the whole story, and spoke again to everyone in the library.

“I appreciate that the ponies of Ponyville have been good to Katy these past few days. I understand that it must have been awkward taking care of her considering she tore thru Canterlot. What I don’t understand, is why the ponies of Canterlot saw the need to make use of that collar,” He glared at Celestia as he continued. “You were her judge, but you are also one of the rulers of this land. My sister had to walk amongst your subjects with that humiliating symbol on her neck for a whole week! Couldn’t you have taken that thing off of her from day one?”

Celestia radiated shame, but she still kept eye contact with Jack as she replied to his question.

“I know you are upset with me, and I understand what you must be feeling. If my sister Luna had such an appalling symbol placed on her neck, I too would be furious. But Jack, you must understand that laws take time to mend here in Equestria. I couldn’t just ignore the law I placed all those years ago, and I also can’t just abolish it considering its still used to this day for many pet owners who lose control of their animals. The only way to lawfully get rid of the collar is to amend the Recognized Intelligent Species Accords by recognizing humans and future alien sentient life as intelligent beings. Amending the Accords is a task that requires the cooperation of every government in Eques, and it takes a lot of time to organize that task.”

Jack still looked pissed despite Celestia’s words and the cold atmosphere was back in full force.

“But the ponies of Canterlot still enforced that law, they chose to make the tracking charm collar a necessity. King Grinnail told me all the details of the trial, and there was plenty of evidence shown to the prosecution that Katy is an intelligent being. Even if they knew that the collar was going to come off sooner or later, they still saw a need to put it on her. The ponies of Canterlot humiliated my sister out of spite, and that is both childish and unforgivable in my opinion.” Jack was starting to seethe, and the cold atmosphere was causing everyone to shiver. I also felt something close to anger as well, anger at Celestia for not working hard enough. I tried to shake the ridiculous thoughts, but they just wouldn’t leave my mind.

This had to be Jack’s doing and I couldn’t figure out how he was doing it, or if he was even doing it intentionally. I looked around the room and found that Jack was affecting the others as well. Pinkie’s hair lost its poof and she was glaring at the wooden floor, seemingly trying to will it on fire by just staring at it. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were butting their heads together and were trying to push each other back, snorting angrily thru their nostrils. Rarity was furiously fussing over a single hair in her mane that was out of place while Fluttershy got out her hiding place and started pacing around the room like an angry tiger. Twilight seemed to be the only one of the Mane 6 not affected by Jack’s anger, but she rubbed her head like she was nursing a headache. Falca looked like she was trying to resist getting angry but her feathers were poofed up like a cats’ and she let out the occasional low growl. Celestia, Luna, and the griffin king were unaffected by the wave of anger and they all seemed to realize that this had to be Jack’s doing. It was only for a split second, but I saw Celestia’s face show a little fear.

“Jack, not all the ponies of Canterlot were represented by the prosecution during that trial, I know for a fact that some-,” Celestia was trying to defuse the ticking time bomb that was my brother, but Jack was having none of it and he interrupted her.

“That is crap and you know it! I have half a mind to march all the way to that city of ‘nobles’ and show them what terror really looks like. Apparently they need a piece of legislation to prove that people like me and Katy are not animals. You know what, how about I think like them. There is no law from my planet that says that ponies are intelligent creatures. I should go to Canterlot and make them all feel what it’s like to have something squeeze their necks. I can assure you that it’s something I can do quite easily,” Jack’s voice was low as he made his threat and he made a squeezing motion with his right hand to show that he was serious.

The griffin king got up to reprimand Jack but he got distracted when he tried to stop his daughter from leaping towards Celestia. The formal and controlled griffin princess I met just minutes ago was nearly wild with rage and her talons were scraping the wooden floor as she tried to get out of her father’s grasp. Luna’s horn was ablaze with blue light as she kept every member of the Mane 6 besides Twilight in a telekinetic grasp and kept them from hurting each other. Library books, tables, and furniture were levitating in the air without a discernable telekinetic color surrounding them and I knew this had to be Jack using his new Force powers (I would be awed if the situation wasn’t deteriorating as badly as it was). Jack didn’t even seem to realize that he was causing all of this, he just kept glaring at Celestia with his new piercing golden eyes. Celestia got up and seemed to be readying herself for a fight.

‘This needs to stop. RIGHT NOW!’ I screamed in my head.

I got in front of Jack and grabbed him by the neckline of his armor to bring him down to my level. I gave him a scolding look with my one eye and channeled the anger he was making me feel to yell right in his face.

“JACK! Grow the fuck up right now and see what you’re causing!”

My little brother blinked in confusion before he followed my order and looked around the room. He saw the angered faces that surrounded him and it dawned on him that he was causing all of it. The cold atmosphere and anger that swept the library was gone in an instant, and everything he held in the air with his powers banged onto the ground. The Mane 6 were looking at each other in confusion, and they didn’t even seem to realize what happened in the past few minutes. Luna let them down just as the griffin king let go of his daughter after she stopped growling and he whispered into her ear on what just happened. Jack stared at everyone around him with guilt ridden all across his face. I let go of Jack’s armor before I lectured him on how to be a proper sibling.

“You’re angry about the collar, I get it, I’m angry about it too. But I do not let it get to me because I know that the people who really matter know it doesn’t really mean anything at all. It’s a childish insult made by some noble pricks who just wanted me to suffer a little more in humiliation. Celestia’s trying her best to get rid of it and you should be thanking her for not leaving me to rot in a prison cell for what I did. In any other law system from our world, I’d be thrown into a cell for a couple decades for how many officers I assaulted. I attacked ponies Jack, and I’m taking responsibility for what I did by working here in this welcoming town. I don’t need my brother to come to the rescue and defend me from my own mistakes. You should know by now that none of our family needs someone to defend their honor whenever someone comes and hurls a petty insult at us. We have powers now Jack, and look what happened when you lost control of yourself over that insult.”

Jack looked around again and his shame deepened when he saw Fluttershy crying silently in corner of the room with her friends trying to console her. He realized he forced her and everyone around him to feel his anger and he couldn’t even look me in the eye anymore. He tried to apologize to me.

“Katy, I’m sorr-,”

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to them,” I interrupted.

He nodded his head before walking towards the center of the room.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, my king, Falca… everyone, I’m so sorry for what I caused all of you to feel,” he looked into Celestia’s eyes as he continued, “I didn’t mean what I said before. I don’t really want to hurt anyone, I’m just… really overprotective of what I have left. I’d understand if you want me to leave after my threat.”

Celestia walked up to him with a sympathetic and kind face.

“Jack, I’m sorry that I even made you feel this way. I know what my ponies did to Katy was wrong, but it just comes to show that we’re all not perfect. I don’t want you to leave, I want you to be with your family.”

Jack started to smile a little at her words until Twilight came up to them both.

“Princess Celestia, we’re going to go take Fluttershy home. This is all a little too much for her.”

Celestia nodded in understanding and the Mane 6 made their way through the door. Jack tried to say something to Fluttershy but the words couldn’t leave his mouth. As soon as they all left, King Grinnail spoke to Celestia.

“Princess Celestia, I know how much you respect law and order, and I respect you for it. But I believe I a solution has presented itself due to my actions to make Jack my new Warden.”

Celestia gave the griffin king a knowing look and motioned for him to continue.

“I have accepted Jack into my House, therefore making him a citizen of my kingdom. Which legally means that the griffin kingdoms now recognize the human species as an intelligent one. The Recognized Intelligent Species Accords can officially recognize a species quickly if a member of the new species successfully applies for citizenship in one of our governments, and we can ignore the need to schedule a council with all the other species. Since you can’t make Katy an official citizen of Equestria yet due to her criminal actions, we can use Jack as the example we need for official proof of their intelligence.”

“Hence, I can finally take this off.” Celestia said as her horn glowed.

The collar on my neck snapped off and Celestia brought it up to her face before she crushed it in her telekinetic grip. She smiled at me as I rubbed my hands around my neck and rejoiced at the feeling of my scales breathing in the open air again. King Grinnail spoke up again after I reveled in the feeling for a few more seconds.

“If we’ve concluded this discussion on the collar, can we now discuss why you two were passed out in the middle of town?”

Jack let me handle this and he moved to stand next to his assassin droid as I talked. I told them all about The Merchant and the tokens he gave us. I of course left out the part where the tokens came with a blessing and curse. Falca and her father gave each other a worried look when I told them that the tokens could be our way for getting home and I couldn’t understand why they did it. Luna asked to see the helmet that acted as my token and I allowed her to examine it. After holding the helmet a bit in her telekinetic grasp and casting a few spells, she handed it back to me and told us all what she found.

“There is magic residing within the helm, but I can’t even guess what kind it is. If we are to discover how it allows Displaced humans to travel between universes, it will require intensive study. I would recommend our university at Canterlot, but perhaps Twilight Sparkle could enjoy the challenge. After all she is already more passionate and knowledgeable on magic than most of our senior professors.”

Celestia nodded her head in agreement with her sister.

“I’ll ask her before we take our leave. Now then, there are several new matters we must attend to. King Grinnail of the Shattered Isles, would you and your daughter kindly accompany me to my castle in Canterlot? It would help settle matters on the tracking collar if you were to officially state Jack’s citizenship to my court, and we can put this whole business behind us.”

“Of course my friend,” he said with a small polite bow.

“Jack, would you mind staying with your sister in her new residence until our business in Canterlot is concluded?”

“Yeah, it’s no problem at all,” my brother said eagerly.

“Good, now I believe you have a mess to clean up,” she said with a trollish smirk as her eyes travelled about the trashed library.

……

It took us all day to clean up the library after Celestia, Luna, and my griffin friends left. My sister decided to help me clean up my mess and we talked about how awesome our new powers were to pass the time. Even with my Force telekinesis, it took forever to quickly place all the books back amongst the shelves. Just as the Sisterhooves Social ended in Ponyville, Twilight returned during the middle of our cleaning and it left me feeling kinda awkward. I just made one of her friends cry and I could tell I didn’t leave a good impression on her. She inspected our work after we were done and we left her with Katy’s token to study as we left her home.

After walking thru crowds of gawking ponies, we arrived at Katy’s little cabin on the outskirts of Ponyville. I sent HK to go back to wherever he parked the ship and told him to guard it until I returned. I made sure to let him know that he is not to hurt any of the denizens of this town, no matter how curious they were of the ship. If an issue he couldn’t handle came up, he is to contact me with our holocommunicators. After such a long and stressful day, we hugged one another and silently held each other for a couple of minutes. It was nice, holding each other after all the chaos we both had to endure. For a minute, I thought that we were back at home and we both just woke up from a bizarre dream. Then reality checked back in when I stared at my sister’s blue scaled face, and she stared up at my red pigmented skin.

Katy sighed and we sat on her couch before she asked me a question.

“Well, since you decided to take the risk, do you want to see if the knowledge in that token was worth it?”

I got excited at the prospect of untold knowledge and I nodded eagerly as I pulled the holocron from my belt. I placed it on the ground in front of the couch and willed it to activate with the Force. A small beam of light projected out from the top of the pyramid, and the particles scattered and diffused into Valkorion’s image. The gatekeeper of the holocron spoke to me in low elderly tone.

“What do you seek?”

“I seek your knowledge, I want you to teach me all that you have learned from the Force. I want to know the pinnacles of Sith Sorcery and Alchemy. I want to know all of your secrets, and use them as I see fit.”

Valkorion stared at me with uninterested eyes and I felt something probe my very being. I realized that the gatekeeper was probing my mind with the Force, but I didn’t sense any malicious intent from the probing. When the gatekeeper was finished, Valkorion spoke to me again.

“I will not,” my heart fell into my stomach as I heard those words, “You are untested with the Force, and you hold yourself back from realizing your true power. I will not lend my knowledge to those undeserving of it.”

He turned his back to me before his hologram disappeared back into the holocron.

‘That didn’t just happened.’

I probed the holocron with the Force again and I tried to drive Valkorion back out.

Nothing happened.

I tried again.

Still nothing.

The Dark Side swelled within me as my anger burst like a nuclear explosion. I stood up and yelled my frustration at the damned pyramid, and my cry turned briefly into a Force scream. The token soared through the air and got itself imbedded into the cabin’s walls and my chest heaved from the exasperated scream. I turned my head towards Katy and saw her trying to cover the sides of her head with her hands to quell my scream.

‘I let my anger gain control of me again,” I thought dreadfully and I sank to my knees to cry. Katy rubbed my back and told me soothing words to try and calm me down.

I took the offer so my sister didn’t have to take the risk, and it appeared I was correct to do so. The Merchant screwed us over again, and we got rid of one collar today only to obtain a new one.

Author's Note

This chapter took a while to write up and I'm sorry for the wait, so I turned it into a big one. This chapter will also have to satisfy everyone for a while because I'm going to be busy for the next few weeks. I'll start writing again some time in the middle of May and I'll probably have a another chapter written up then.

And yeah the tokens mean that Jack and Katy are officially open to the Displaced multiverse for possible crossovers. But I'm going to have another use for their tokens and they'll actually serve a purpose to the plot. Like The Merchant said, they are a way to get back home and they can be a gateway to so many other Equestrian Universes.

Don't worry though if you're a reader that doesn't like crossovers with other stories. My main focus is Jack and Katy's trials in their own Universe.

With all that said, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. :twilightsmile:

9) Uncertain Future

King Grinnail, Princess Falca, Luna, and myself sat in a private meeting room in my castle at Canterlot while the guards from both our respective groups sat stationed outside. The furniture within the room consisted of a small oval table in its center with 8 luxurious chairs surrounding it. Luna and I sat together on one end while our griffin guests sat on the opposite side. The room had no windows and only had a magnificent chandelier in its center to provide light. There were small runes lining the walls with spells that’ll help ensure the privacy of the room. After a court session with the House of Nobility to confirm that Undyne no longer needed the tracking collar, we finally got time to discuss more vital issues concerning the two siblings. After everyone got comfortable, I got straight to the point and asked my ally a question that had been on my mind since we left Ponyville.

“Why didn’t you tell us about Jack sooner?”

Just like his ancestors, King Grinnail carried himself with pride and presented his image as a resilient ruler. He only obtained this image through years of practice and work within the court of his own kingdom. He expected my question and answered without hesitation.

“I needed time. Time to obtain and ensure his loyalty to me and my kingdom. I received your notice a week ago, and I’m deeply sorry that I had to keep him a secret from both you two and his sister, but I had to take steps. Jack is simply too valuable to loose and I couldn’t risk having him run off with his sister as soon as he found her. By making him Warden of the Shattered Isles, he now has ties that bind him to my House.”

“You kept him away from his family just to ensure that you could keep him to yourself?” My sister asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I kept him away from Katy for only a week Princess Luna,” he said with a sympathetic voice. “Considering their circumstances, a week is surely a reasonable amount of time. Does it really matter in the end? Jack and Katy are finally reunited and they can move on to working on their new lives in our world.”

“We are supposed to be close allies King Grinnail, and allies are supposed to share and work together on important matters such as these. Alien life visiting our world is a matter that should involve all races, and we can’t work together efficiently if we are keeping secrets from each other.” I said in a stern tone.

King Grinnail didn’t appear intimidated in the least by my tone and already had a retort.

“Allies are also supposed to help ensure that their friends aren’t invaded by potential enemies. Equestria hasn’t pressured House Ridara enough on their nonstop military build-up, and it causes many members of my House to raise questions on our partnership. If we are the allies you say we are, then you would help me more with my concerns on House Ridara.”

‘So that is what this is all about,’ I thought with a growing worry as Grinnail changed the topic.

“My friend, I have cut off all legal trade betweeen House Ridara and my kingdom. I have warned King Stormbeak on numerous occasions that his shows of aggression will not deter us from coming to House Hialla’s defense. I’ve even convinced the Taurus Dominion to enact higher tariffs to condemn Ridara’s military expansion. If Stormbeak doesn’t come to the negotiating table sooner or later, his people will turn against him when they realize that their taxes would be better spent on a loaf of bread than a spear or sword. What more do we need to do?”

“Meet with Stormbeak face to face!” King Grinnail said passionately. “Show House Ridara that the sun itself is on House Hialla’s side and that the moon has just recently joined our arsenal. Griffins don’t fear Equestria’s armies or their young Elements of Harmony. Griffins respect Equestria’s alicorns, and they need to be reminded of the power you both wield. Stormbeak is getting bold enough to not even meet with me himself anymore. Instead, he just sent his ambassador to meet with me in our latest emergency conference.

Then it’s been getting far worse than I predicted. If a meeting was called to discuss tensions between griffin Houses, the leader of the Houses were expected to represent themselves. Stormbeak sending just his ambassador was the same as saying that King Grinnail wasn’t worth his time. This boldness could mean that Stormbeak may be willing to try much more daring actions in the future.

“Are you absolutely certain King Stormbeak will invade your lands?” I asked my ally carefully. Grinnail’s eyes never left mine as he made a determined nod and answered.

“I don’t wish it to be so, but I can find no other way to explain his actions. He claims to be preparing his people for whatever dark forces may come to challenge the Elements of Harmony. However, my network’s latest intelligence report shows that he has strained his forces too far for merely defensive purposes. Falca, show them the report,” He turned to his daughter and she walked over to us with a scroll clutched in one of her tallons.

I took the scroll into my telekinetic grasp and held it between me and my sister as we read it’s contents. I had to resist showing my surprise when I saw the numbers.

1,100,000 griffins in active military service to House Ridara.

600,000 griffins in reserve military service to House Ridara.

Sky Wielders (Special Forces Unit and Royal Guard to King Stormbeak) have personnel deployed on unknown assignments. The king himself only knows the identities and locations of these personnel. Our ability to acquire this information is impossible without compromising ourselves.

Sky ship production is up by 90%.

2,000,000 accumulated bits have been withdrawn from House Ridara coffers to hire winter dragons as mercenaries.

Modern weapons and armor of all types (Spears, swords, scale armor, plate, etc.) have doubled in quantity since last year. The totals from all known Ridara armories and stockpiles place the number near 3,200,600 for each type. Enough to fully equip each member of their military and more in the future.

Development of their automatic crossbow has been completed. Production and distribution is ongoing. (Forwarding their schematics in our next report)

Research is currently ongoing for an unknown sea ship variant.

56% of this year's agricultural yield has been distributed among military personnel and remnants are kept in private storage for later use.

Overall: House Ridara’s military strength is suitable enough to defend the Blue Star Mountain’s borders and large enough to afford an all-out military campaign.

Recommendation: (Reinforce our defenses along the northern borders of our colonies)

-Watcher Three

This information was very troubling if it was accurate. Both my sister and I combined were worth an army of a million ponies on the battlefield alone. Equestria’s current peacetime active and reserve forces totaled around 600,000. Equestria could afford to send myself, my sister, and 100,000 beyond our eastern borders should House Ridara attack, but this report could mean that it wouldn’t be enough to end any conflict quickly. The agreement I made with King Grinnail’s grandmother all those years ago guaranteed that the Shattered Isles and its lands would maintain a steady 500,000 active military force in their navy. I had their expensive and overwhelming armada mostly mothballed or converted into their vast trade fleet in order to allow them to focus on the rebuilding of what they lost from their war. House Hialla wasn’t demilitarized enough so that their people wouldn’t have enough to competently defend their territory, but they wouldn’t have instant access to counterattack measures if a war broke out. If House Ridara’s military numbers were over 1 million and climbing, then that meant a war against our alliance would be long, bloody, and economically exhausting for both Equestria and the Shattered Isles.

There was always the Elements of course. But even after besting Discord, they still weren’t ready for something as demanding as war.

‘I’ll not allow my student to undergo such pain,’ I thought determinately.

“This information is accurate?” Luna asked after she read the report.

“The encrypted version of this letter came straight from our mole imbedded in Fort Harborage at their capital. Watcher Three has yet to fail my House and I would bet one of my Isles on the accuracy of her information,” Grinnail answered with conviction.

“This overwhelming force that House Ridara has created is precisely why I need Jack Krieger as a trump card,” the king continued. “He has displayed power and abilities I’ve never seen before in a non-unicorn. Not only did he defeat a fully-grown star beast, he continues to grow more powerful every day. Both he and the technology he possesses could be the deterrent we need to force Stormbeak to sue for peace. I also waited this long to tell you of him because I knew you would take issue with his dark magic”.

“You’ve known of his practice of dark magic all this time?” I asked not really surprised.

“During one of our conversations around the dinner table, he told me of how he amplified his power over the ‘Force’ by using the Dark Side. Something named the Dark Side simply screams dark magic, but he has shown to have a strong level of control over it.

“I would hardly label his display at the library as control,” I retorted.

Grinnail was about to reply but his daughter interrupted.

“Your Highness, if I may?” She said asking permission to speak. I nodded my head and allowed her to continue.

“What happened at the library was not the greatest example of Jack’s control over his powers. I’d even say it was terrifying considering the influence he had over my state of mind,” she said shuddering at the anger she felt. “But I’ve seen Jack show remarkable control over his dark power in a much more stressful situation.

I raised my eyebrow to express my interest.

“Like his sister, I believe that he has a connection to magic that is entirely unique to our world. His Dark Side of the Force may not have as much of an influence on him as dark magic does on the denizens of our world. Every living being that has used dark magic has always succumbed to its corruption, even you Princess Luna… my apologies,” she said bowing to Luna for bringing up the touchy subject.

It ached my heart to once again be reminded of my sister’s descent into darkness as Nightmare Moon and my failure to help her back then. In her search to find ways to outshine me as a ruler, she tried to master the dark arts and display to all that she could be superior to me in her control over magic. But in the end, dark magic had such a powerful hold on her that she even formed an entirely new personality from its corrupting elements of anger and fear.

Luna hesitated a bit before responding to the griffin princess’s apology.

“I acknowledge and take responsibility for what I did in the past, but it no longer haunts me. My sister, and even a new friend of mine, has helped me make peace with what I did. Please, continue with your argument.”

“Thank you, so as I said, dark magic has always corrupted those who make use of it. If used longer than just the briefest of moments, it can shatter our views of right and wrong. Dark magic users like Princess Luna have always required others like the Elements of Harmony to rid them of dark magic’s influence. But Jack didn’t need help when he saved me from the Aper Major. He had to make use of the darker nature of his power in order to win, but despite giving in to the darkness, he managed to bring himself back from its corrupting influence as if it was nothing.”

“As remarkable as that is, do you really believe that he can completely control this Dark Side of his in the future?” I asked.

The proud griffin princess puffed up her chest and gave me a determined look when she responded.

“I believe that he deserves the chance to prove himself. Jack’s discipline may have been lacking in Ponyville, but I know he’s strong willed enough to not become another King Sombra. I’ll be there for him like his sister will, and he’ll become the Warden that my people need him to be.”

I sat there contemplating the possible consequences if I allowed Jack to continue with his practice of the dark arts. He has had barely a week of training with his newfound powers, yet he has managed to influence other minds with his anger without even noticing. I shuddered to think about what else he could do if given the chance to grow stronger. Then again, he has the chance to become one of the greatest assets of harmony like his sister. After a minute of contemplation, I asked my sister of her opinion on Jack’s dark magic.

“Dark magic cannot be trusted my sister. Jack himself, Katy, our little ponies, the whole world is in danger if we allow Jack to practice his powers without our guidance. We should warn him of the darkness he is dabbling in and then-,” she paused for a few seconds, then spoke to me again in a soft tone. “My apologies sister, but given my history with dark magic, I don’t think I can give you an unbiased opinion.”

I nodded my head in understanding then turned to our griffin guests again to tell them my final thoughts on Jack Krieger.

“We’ll trust that Jack can learn to control this Dark Side of the Force for now. However, should he start to go down the same path that my sister and Sombra did, then we will take steps to ensure that the Shattered Isles does not become another Crystal Empire.”

Falca’s smile was as bright as my sun as her father spoke up again.

“We appreciate that you are willing to give Jack a chance to prove himself. So then, what shall we do next about House Ridara?”

“Declare another meeting, and make sure to let Stormbeak know that the Royal Sisters will be attending as well. Together, we will remind him that our alliance is not weak, and that our lands are not open for him to take and plunder,” I said with a stomp of my hoof.

“It will be done. In the meantime, I have a suggestion that will allow our two alien guests some time to recuperate with each other and enjoy some much-needed fun. It will require that Katy obtain a temporary pardon…

I was surrounded by an impenetrable blizzard. The cold stole the heat from my body as I trudged through knee high snow drifts. The Force refused to come to my aid, and I was left with just my armor to ward off the cold. I called out into the blizzard in the hopes that someone would come to my aid, but no one came. I trudged through the snow until I saw someone sitting on the ground slowly being buried by the snow. I picked up my pace and managed to see that it was a male griffin and called out to him. He didn’t respond.

As soon as I walked up to him, I began to recognize his golden feathers and touched his shoulder to get his attention. The griffin slumped backwards into the snow and I gasped in horror when I saw that he was dead and had King Grinnail’s face. I just barely broke away from the dead eyes staring up into mine, and I gazed upon the rest of his body to find out what killed him. I found a single cauterized cut along his chest cavity that looked eerily similar to a lightsaber wound. My hand fondled the lightsaber at my waist, and I was desperately trying to figure out what else could have left that wound.

A scream from somewhere in the blizzard caught my attention and I tried to determine its source. It sounded off again and I managed to determine the cry’s general direction. I moved hastily through the blizzard to help whoever was in trouble but was distraught when I found more bodies. Griffins, male and female, displayed similar cauterized wounds across their bodies. Some were missing limbs, others had stab wounds, while a few didn’t even have any heads on top of their shoulders. I even recognized a few of their faces. Takada’s face was frozen mid-roar, and her little brother Hyde had frozen tears across his beak. The scream sounded closer and I pushed through my grief to help whoever was in trouble.

The screaming was cut off mid-screech and I began to fear the worst. Whoever was screaming finally came into view. It was Falca, her body was strewn across the snow and I began to scream in horror for my friend. I rushed over to her and cradled her into my arms while begging her to be alright. I almost didn’t notice the cauterized stab wound in her chest.

“WHO DID THIS!?” I screamed into the blizzard. No one answered.

Something fell from Falca’s talons and into the snow. I gently placed Falca onto the ground and tried to dig up whatever she dropped out of the snow. My hands grasped a hilt and I found it to be my lightsaber. My off-hand tried to find the hilt on my belt, and I was confused when I couldn’t find it in its proper place.

“What…why is it, I don’t understand, this has to be a dream right?” I began to back away from Falca’s body and stumbled when I felt a blue puddle splash onto my boots. I jumped away from the puddle and couldn’t understand how it could be here in the middle of a blizzard until it started to move.

A hand and head started to form out of the puddle and their features began to seem very familiar to me. Blue scales and a melting eye formed on the head and the hand began to reach out to me. Then I recognized the horrid creature for what it was when the head’s mouth opened and spoke to me.

“J-Jack, help mmmeee,” the head said in Katy’s voice.

Katy’s monster body had formed into an amalgamate, an entity that had melted and deformed from the intensity of determination. I tried to reach out to her, but I hesitated. I was afraid.

“J-Jack, help mmmeee,” she said again.

“I don’t know what to do,” I said hopelessly falling to my knees. The Force refused to come at my command, and I was surrounded by the dead. What was I supposed to do?

“This fear of yours’ is pathetic,” an elderly male voice spoke up from behind me.

I turned and saw Valkorion staring down at me as if I was an annoying child. Rage filled my being at the very sight of him and I got up to roar in his face.

“What is this? What’s happening!?”

He simply turned his back to me.

Rage overcame my common sense and I activated my lightsaber to cut him in half. Before the lightsaber could make contact he disappeared in a blinding flash of light. As soon as the light was gone and my eyes adjusted, I was staring into the dark mouth of a cave surrounded by snow. I spun around to find out where I was and what happened to Katy, but the blizzard blinded me to my surroundings. I called out to Katy until my throat became sore, and I cried when I came to the realization that she was gone along with bodies of my griffin friends.

Then I felt the Force again and it felt like a warm hug from a long lost friend. I felt the Force beckoning me towards the cave and I stared it into its dark depths . Something in it was calling to me and I began to take few hesitant steps. As soon as I reached the mouth of the cave I felt an odd sensation of falling.

......

SMACK!

“GAHH, my nose,” I said frustrated.

I smacked my head onto the wooden floor as I fell from the couch. The blanket that was covering me fell off my body as I stood up and I tried wrap my head around what happened in the dream. I was checking to see if my nose was broken when Katy came rushing into the room.

“Jack! What happened, what was tha- DAHH? Jack you’re naked!” Katy yelled, covering her eyes.

“Oops, sorry Katy. Forgot that the living room isn’t exactly private,” I said tying my fallen blanket around my waist.

“Since when did you start sleeping in the nude!?” Katy asked still covering her eyes.

“Around the time when we stopped using the bunk bed and got separate rooms when we were kids. It’s safe to open your eyes now,” I replied with my hands on my hips.

“Wait, that long?” She said opening her eyes. “Jeez, couldn’t you have at least left your boxers on?”

“I like the freedom it makes me feel when I sleep nude. Besides, after what happened yesterday I needed all the small comforts I could get,” I said scratching my head. My thoughts drifted towards the dream I had and the horrifying image of seeing Katy melted and deformed made me weak to my knees. Every vision I had so far had come true eventually. I rushed over to my sister and hugged her tightly.

“Wow Jack, you’re still that upset? I told you that together we will make sure that no one besides us touches that useless pyramid,” Katy said patting my back.

“No it’s not that, (sigh), sit down we need to talk.”

I told her all about the dream and how I’ve been having Force visions that seem to always come true. I told her how terrified I was of losing her and how worried I was that I may cause the deaths of my griffin friends. She twirled her hair like she always did when she was thinking or nervous, then she gave me a smile and spoke with confidence.

“Jack don’t worry, the future is not always set in stone. By knowing a possible future, we have the advantage to change it. We’re not going to lose each other Jack.”

“But Katy, it’s not that simple. Every future I see becomes true. Falca and the star beast, me turning into a sith pureblood-,”

“And at any time did you try to change the future?” She asked interrupting me.

“Well I… not really no.”

“Then we will change this one.”

“How?”

“By watching for signs and working together to change the outcome,” she said patting me on the back. “Besides we’ve got plenty of time, we’re not going to see any blizzards around here soon so that means that this future may not happen till winter.”

“Yeah I guess,” I said losing some of my anxiety. She surprised me by smacking me hard on the back and it caused me to lose my breath a little.

“Great! Now let’s stop brooding about the future and focus on the present. I’m going to give you a tour around Ponyville and you are going to have fun, you got that?” She said causing me to chuckle.

We got off her couch and I used her bathroom to change back into my armor. I grabbed my token and made sure the holocron was secure in one of my belt’s pouches before we left. Before Katy opened the door to leave, I sensed a harmless but annoyed presence outside the door. She opened the door to reveal a unicorn guard stallion who had his hoof raised to knock on the door. He hastily put his hoof down and greeted Katy and me.

“Uh, good morning you two,” he said before turning his head to address me. “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Vigilant Star. I’m Katy’s handler during her sentence here in Ponyville. You must be her brother.”

He raised his hoof towards me to shake my hand and I wasn’t sure what to think of him at first. I saw him more as my sister’s jailer than her handler. I subtly probed his mind and saw that he was an honest soul at heart and that he sees himself as a fair pony. He was annoyed by something, and I probed a little further to find that he was annoyed by my sister for running off yesterday without his permission.

‘He’s just trying to do his job, nothing wrong with that’ I reasoned. I bent down to shake the small pony’s hoof and gave him a gentle smile, but left it at that. When I did not move the introduction any further, Katy spoke just in time before things could become awkward.

“So where were you yesterday Vigilant? I thought after I ran off on you yesterday you would at least try to make an appearance to make sure everything was okay.”

“I did, but you were unconscious in front of Town Hall when I arrived. Then when Princess Celestia and Princes Luna arrived they told me to get a medical team from Ponyville Hospital to get you two into better care. By the time I got back, I found out that you both woke up and made your way to the Golden Oak Library with the Princesses. When I got there, the Princesses were leaving with who I believe to be King Grinnail and his daughter, and they told me to leave you two to your privacy. By the way, I’m… glad you’re okay,” he said with a smile.

“Aww, thanks for showing you care Vigilant, I appreciate it. But if you were told to leave us to our privacy, why are you here?”

“I’m here because we there’s been an incident concerning your brother’s golem.”

“What did he do?” I asked worried and alert.

“Apparently he shot Ms. Fluttershy’s pet bunny.”

“HE DID WHAT!?” Katy and I screamed in perfect unison.

……

We found out where HK parked the ship yesterday when Katy, Vigilant Star, and I got to Fluttershy’s cottage. The Fury was behind the cottage and the black metal hull contrasted sharply with the cottage’s vibrant green, nature loving setting. Rainbow Dash was furiously pacing back and forth outside the cottage’s door and her demeanor suggested frustration. Her ears perked when she heard our footsteps coming closer then when she turned to us I immediately sensed her hostility towards me. She flew right up to my face with an angry look and I had to resist the urge to Force push her a 100 meters away from my personal space.

“What is wrong with you! First, you mess with our minds back at the library and make Fluttershy cry. Then you order your stupid metal trashcan to shoot defenseless animals!”

“I didn’t order him to do any of the sort,” I said trying to defend myself. “I told him to just protect the ship, that was it!”

“Oh and that’s another thing! Your loud, slow little airship there scared off most of Fluttershy’s animals when it landed. We barely got Fluttershy to stop crying last night after what you did to us, and it didn’t help when we got back to her home to find most of her animal friends gone. Now she’s sad and afraid that her little Angel won’t move again after that trashcan shot him. You are going to pay for this, understand me!” She said grabbing me by the collar of my armor roughly with her hoof.

I was too far gone to care of her rough treatment of me, as I was too busy beating myself up over what has happened. I just made the life of Equestria’s kindest pony a living hell and I did it without even intending to. I made the sweet little pony cry again just because I wasn’t careful enough in my arrival to Ponyville and my assassin droid wasn’t making things any better. I felt a deep pit grow in my stomach and I was desperately trying to find ways to fix my recent mistakes. It didn’t help that a TV show character was yelling in my face.

‘Oh come on, why do I keep fucking things up? I’m supposed to be smart right? I even have the Force now for crying out loud! I didn’t want to… its because you’re stupid and worthless Jack! You were a waste of time, love, and money to your parents, and you’ll never be the perfect human being even when your wildest dreams come true and incredible powers are practically gift wrapped to you. You screwed up when you took that bastard Merchant’s offer and you’ll fail just as you always- no stop, stop! I don’t think like that anymore, I-I can’t afford to think like that anymore,’ I thought holding my hands over my ears trying to block out the yelling and tried to center myself through meditation. This just made Rainbow Dash even angrier and she started to shake me with her hoof.

Everything, including my thoughts, were silenced when Katy’s blue-scaled hand grasped Rainbow Dash’s hoof in an iron grip and stopped her throttling. Her determined cat-like eye glared at Rainbow Dash and she threw her up into the air where she hovered for a bit stunned by my sister’s actions.

“Jack is going to fix this Dash, and he’ll have my help. Jack knows he messed up and he doesn’t need you yelling at him for it.”

“But he needs to-“

“No he doesn’t,” Katy interrupted. “He needs to fix this, and you’re not helping by yelling at him. Go to Fluttershy and be there for her while we deal with HK and figure out how we can help Angel,” She said pointing to Fluttershy’s door as she gave her order to the rainbow pegasus.

“Undyne, she won’t let anypony in. I’ve tried knocking on the door and calling out to her but she doesn’t answer. I don’t know what to do,” Dash said defeated.

“Then wait and be ready for her when she does need you. We’ll be at the ship dealing with the ‘metal trashcan’ if you need us.” Katy finished as she pushed me behind the cottage and towards the Fury with Vigilant Star in tow.

“Thanks big sis,” I said as we neared the ship.

“Your welcome little bro, but I could tell you were falling back to your old habits again weren’t you? You were belittling yourself in your head right?” She asked me with a raised brow.

“Yeah, but it was very brief okay. I’m not going to hurt myself like I did back then.”

“I know, I’m just being a worried older sister right now. It’s okay to beat yourself up once in a while. Hell I’d even say it’s healthy considering it means you know when you’ve done wrong. But I just don’t want you to take it to the extreme like you use to.”

“I won’t, that’ll never happen again,” I promised.

We found HK patrolling around the ship and he immediately moved toward us when he sensed our presence on his scanners. Vigilant spoke up to ask a quick question before we reached the assassin droid.

“Why would he shoot a bunny?”

I sighed when I deduced how HK may have interpreted my orders yesterday.

“I ordered him to protect the ship while I stayed with Katy at her cabin. I made sure to let him know that he’s not to hurt any of the ponies in town if they got curious. But curious bunnies were not the list of ‘Do Not Hurt’.”

HK gave us a salute when he reached us.

“Statement: Master, your ship has been well guarded thanks to my constant vigil. Any curious four-legged meatbags ran for their insignificant lives when they saw me marching on my patrols.”

“Caution: Will we be leaving anytime soon master? Despite the cover that wooden building provides, this is not a very defensible position.”

“Not yet,” I said before sighing for what I’m about to ask next. “HK, why did you shoot a harmless bunny?”

“Query: You mean that filthy little meatbag cretin that dared to challenge me?

“Statement: Master, that thing is certainly not harmless. At first it just kept yapping unintelligent noises at me and shaking it paw angrily. Then it started throwing some sort of orange vegetable at me. When the meatbag dared to tarnish my handsome durasteel chassis it made itself known as a clear hostile. It only took me 0.16 seconds to render it unconscious with a stun bolt. It’s certainly learned its lesson by now and it should consider itself lucky that I didn’t kill it outright.”

“HK that bunny was someone’s pet and we need to help him.”

“Query: And why should we care?” he said with a tone that suggested irritation.

“Because we are guests on this planet, and guests don’t go shooting other people’s pets just because they’re irritating. Now come on, how do we help the bunny? I’ve been hit by a few of your stun bolts during our training sessions but I’ve always managed to shrug them off with the Force. Do we have any medical equipment that can help restore the bunny’s nervous system?”

“Answer: (sigh) yes master, some bacta is probably all the little cretin needs. I have a med kit full of it for emergency meatbag purposes, but I’ll need to scan the cretin so I can know the proper dosage.”

‘That’s a relief, because I’ve yet to study how I can heal others besides myself with the Force. It’s a good thing that all the companions from the game could act as healers if you wanted them to.’

“Good, then follow me.”

“Statement: Very well master.”

“Sarcasm: My circuits are a-buzz with anticipation of what your next task will be for me that does not involve ending the life of an organic meatbag that deserves death.”

I ignored him and just thought about how I was going to get Fluttershy to let me help Angel. She is undoubtedly afraid of me, but maybe I can appeal to her sense of kindness and tell her that I seek her forgiveness. If I made myself look small and miserable, maybe she’ll take pity on me and open herself up to my help. It shouldn’t be too hard considering I already feel miserable for making her cry.

Rainbow Dash was still knocking on the door trying to convince Fluttershy to let her in. She stopped to turn around when she heard us coming and was surprised by HK’s presence. I spoke up before she could say anything.

“Don’t worry he’s tame, he won’t hurt anyone so long as I’m here. He has medicine that can help get Fluttershy’s bunny moving again.”

“Okay, but I’ll be watching him and you. You better not make Fluttershy feel any worse,” she said with a glare.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make things right,” I said as I walked up to the little door.

I had to bend a knee to knock on the door properly, and I waited for a few seconds before calling out to Fluttershy in the gentlest tone I could manage.

“Fluttershy? My name is Jack, I’m Undyne’s little brother and I’m here to help with Angel.”

I sensed her presence behind the door with the Force and could hear her shuffling her hooves. After not getting a response, I continued to speak.

“My droid HK-55 has some medicine that could help Angel recover much faster.

“Please go away,” she said suddenly in a meek voice. It was hard to hear her from behind the door.

“Okay, I’ll go away. But can I first apologize to you for causing you so much trouble, if that’s okay with you?”

After waiting for a minute for her to respond, I heard her whimper a little before responding.

“Okay.”

“First, I’m sorry for landing my ship next to your home without asking for permission. I didn’t know my droid would land it here when I jumped from it. I was so eager to see my sister again that I didn’t care where he would land it. Because of my recklessness, my ship scared away most of your animal friends and I’m very sorry for that too,” I paused for a bit as I considered what I would say next.

“When I came to Ponyville, I was so happy and excited to see my sister again. I was also confused and... angry. I heard that the ponies of Canterlot put an animal collar on my sister and I needed answers immediately. I didn’t like the answers that Princess Celestia gave at the library and I just got angrier. I got so angry that I even lost control of my powers. I made you feel my anger and scared you with it. I am so, so sorry for making you and your friends feel that… I should have had better control of myself but I didn’t.” Emotion reached my voice and it was difficult trying to get the words out. “I’m also sorry for what HK-55 did to your bunny. He doesn’t know any better and he was just following my orders to protect my ship. I ordered him to not hurt anypony, but I neglected to order him to not hurt any animals either. Your bunny’s pain is my fault too and I’m deeply sorry for that as well. I didn’t want…” I choked up a bit as I tried to finish my sentence.

“I didn’t want to hurt anyone when I came here but I still did it. I hurt you most of all and I’m willing to do anything to make it up to you. I know you told me to leave, but please give me a chance to try.”

The upper part of her door opened a crack and I could see her peeking through it with her teal colored eyes. I got on my knees completely and tried to make myself as small as possible. I bowed my head towards the ground and begged her.

“Please”

I heard the door open up completely and I slowly raised my head to look upon the timid yellow pegasus. She kept her right eye covered with her pink mane and she slowly approached me with a few clops of her hooves. Her voice was still weak but I could hear her more clearly now that she wasn’t hidden behind a door.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry that I made you feel this sad.”

I started to chuckle at her own apology as I got up to meet her at eye level

“It’s okay, you don’t need to apologize. So does this mean you’ll let me help?” I asked.

She looked towards the ground for a little bit before nodding her head. I smiled and was glad that she gave me this chance to make things right with her. I turned towards HK and motioned him to come up to us, slowly. I turned back to Fluttershy to introduce him and tried to reassure her that he was harmless now.

“HK won’t hurt anything or anyone so long as I’m here. He has this medical substance called bacta that can help your bunny shake off his stunned state. Can you take us to him?’

She nodded her head and lead us into her home. I turned back to the others and saw Rainbow Dash slack jawed, Vigilant Star was scratching his head in confusion, and Katy just smiled while giving me a thumbs up. They followed me in to the cottage and I admired how it looked almost exactly like it did in the show. Except it felt like there was a certain emptiness to it now that most the critters were gone. Fluttershy led us to Angel, who was stuck in a cartoonish pose on his portion of the couch with his paws raised and his face frozen in complete surprise. HK knelt next to the couch and took out a portable scanner from a compartment within his chassis to examine the frozen little devil.

“What are you doing with that metal box?” Fluttershy asked the assassin droid.

“Answer: I’m using this to scan his biology in order to determine how much bacta is appropriate for a meatbag of his size.”

A green light emitted from the scanner and a thin line traced Angel up and down in three successions. Pages of data roamed across the holoscreen and HK read it all in just a few seconds. He stood up and turned to us to report his findings.

“Diagnosis: An injection of 100 microliters into his hindquarters is all the little meatbag requires.”

“An injection?! Oh no, Angel hates needles. Can’t we give him the bacta some other way?” Fluttershy asked.

“Answer: There is! The only other way for him to receive the bacta is through oral intake. As soon as the bacta finishes repairing his nervous system, he’ll be suffering from stomach indigestion for months. Can we us this method master, it’s the least this insufferable little meatbag deserves?”

Before I could respond, Katy asked HK a question.

“Can’t we just wait for the stun effect to wear off?”

“Enthusiastic Answer: That is even better! My rifle’s stun setting was designed to focus on much larger meatbags than him and the stun bolt’s effects should wear off in about three to four days. Without a way to feed himself properly he’ll be starved and miserable by the time his nervous system repairs itself naturally.”

Fluttershy whimpered from HK’s enthusiasm to see her pet suffer. I knelt down and gave her a warm smile before giving her my advice.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just performing how he was made to act. I would recommend that you let him give Angel the injection.”

“But every time he gets an injection he’ll squirm around so much around the needle that he’ll often get himself hurt,” Fluttershy softly argued.

“HK’s got a good grip. I trust him enough to make sure that Angel won’t move around too much. Besides, Angel will still get hurt if we try any other method,” I argued back.

Fluttershy sighed and slowly nodded in agreement. I told the assassin droid our decision.

“Disappointment: Very well master, if you insist. This won’t take long,” he said as he raised his left hand and surprised all of us when his pinkie finger sprung forth a tiny little needle.

“Recollection: I remember when I used this to assassinate a Balmorran droid industry tycoon during one of his frivolous dinner parties.”

“What does assassinate mean?” Fluttershy asked me.

I laughed nervously before responding.

“Assassinate from where he comes from is another way to say heal. He meant that he healed the tycoon because they probably ate something poisonous from the food at the party.”

“Musing: I suppose you could say that I ‘healed’ the galaxy after I assassinated the tycoon.”

I facepalmed and told HK to stop talking and work before he could corrupt Fluttershy. The assassin droid nodded and gently took Angel into his right hand. As soon as some of the bacta was emptied into the little demon’s ass, Angel started to move again and he squealed as loudly as he could. He was trying to do everything he could to get out of HK’s grip by shaking and biting the droid’s durasteel hand. Nothing had any affect, and HK only released Angel until after he safely injected all 100 microliters. After the deed was done, Angel leapt from HK’s relaxed hand and sought sanctuary from his overjoyed owner. Fluttershy was shedding tears of joy at the sight of her little Angel moving again.

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! I don’t know what I would do without my little Angel.” Fluttershy said hugging the little demon.

“You’re welcome,” I said with a smile. The sight of Fluttershy happily hugging her pet bunny relived much of the guilt I felt since yesterday.

Angel was growling angrily at HK-55 but he wasn’t intimidating the droid in the least. I was about to suggest that I could help Fluttershy find all her animals but I sensed a few familiar presences return to town. King Grinnail and Falca have returned to Ponyville with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

……

After I told everyone in the cottage of the princess’s return, all of them including Fluttershy followed us to the Ponyville Town Hall where a whole throng of Ponyville’s citizens gathered around Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Falca and her father were surrounded by their guards and talking with the alicorn sisters about something. The rest of the Mane 6 were also there and Twilight was happily sitting next to her mentor. Katy was striding next to me and I could tell that she was irritated that she had yet to show me around Ponyville like she wanted to do this morning. I was just surprised that the royalty had returned so soon.

Falca smiled at us and waved us over to her as she broke off from her conversation with the alicorn sisters. By the time we got to her she seemed very excited to tell us something.

“Katy Krieger, I am very excited to tell you that my father and I have managed to convince Princess Celestia to grant you a temporary pardon to spend more time with your brother! We also would like to invite you to our Shattered Isles and spend your family bonding time on the luxurious Isle of Gaiety.”

Katy and I were baffled.

“You got me a pardon!?” Katy asked excited.

“A temporary pardon,” Falca emphasized. “Your pardon will last for five days and my father and I would be honored if you spent that time on our most entertaining island. The Isle of Gaiety is an island resort where griffins and travelers from all species have created a melting pot for all forms of entertainment. It is a home for the arts and a bastion to individuals who need to relieve their stress and be themselves. My father and I figured after all the chaos you’ve both endured these past few weeks, you deserve a chance to unwind.

“Uh, sure, I’d be honored to go to your island,” Katy said laughing excitedly. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You can thank me by having fun with your brother,” Falca replied with a smile.

Katy hung her arms around my neck to hug me and I joined in her enthusiasm by hugging her back. We were so happy that we almost missed Pinkie Pie popping up between Falca and us.

“Wait! You two are leaving already? I had this whole brother and sister reunion party planned for tonight. I had to reschedule last night because Undyne’s brother scared everyone by making us all angry and mean. I was so excited to see you two have fun together in one of my parties,” Pinkie said disappointedly as she moped and laid herself on the ground with her forehoofs splayed out in front of her.

Falca looked confused on how Pinkie Pie seemingly popped into existence in front of us and Katy laughed at the pink pony’s antics as she moved away from our hug. Katy knelt down to pet Pinkie’s head and she smiled when she spoke.

“Hey I got an idea Pinkie! Jack and I will return on the last day of my pardon, and we’ll have the party then. How does that sound?”

Pinkie jumped a few meters into the air from the excitement and joy I sensed in her.

“That’s great! It will give me more time to plan and get together more stuff for the party. Oh wait, do Jack’s griffin friends want to come to the party?” She said turning to Falca. “Do you want to come to my super-duper awesome brother and sister reunion party Princess Falca? I’d like to try and throw a party again with a griffin after the last one didn’t go so well,” she said leaving Falca even more confused.

Falca formed an uneasy smile as she answered the happy pony.

“Who am I to refuse a party invitation by the Element of Laughter? I would happily attend Ms. Pie.”

Pinkie jumped even higher as her joy increased.

“This is so AMAZING! Wait, I have to get this right,” Pinkie said as she pulled a pencil and notebook from her mane. “What is your favorite color, party food, and type of pastry?

Falca rubbed the underside of her beak with her talons in silent contemplation before she responded.

“My favorite color is red. My favorite kind of pastry are cupcakes. Lastly, well this is kind of a guilty pleasure, my favorite kind of party food are fried prawns served with tartar sauce.”

A few ponies listening in on our conversations trotted away looking sickly after Falca mentioned she liked to eat animals. Pinkie however didn’t seem disturbed at all as she wrote everything down. She stuffed the notebook back in her mane before she stared to hop up and down like a mad mare.

“Oh this is so exciting! I’ve never thrown a reunion party for lost family members before. Oh I could just-,” Pinkie took one huge hop and flew far into the sky before she could finish her sentence. I managed to trace her ascent but lost sight of her after she passed the clouds. She still didn’t come down after we waited a couple minutes.

“Should we be worried?” Falca asked.

“Don’t worry she’ll be fine. Pinkie does weird stuff like that all the time.” Katy answered.

“Oh dear, I hope she’ll be alright,” Fluttershy said voicing her concern.

“I’ll go get her,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew up into the clouds after her friend.

Falca shrugged her shoulders and asked us to follow her to her father and the royal sisters. The princesses smiled at our approach and Twilight looked like she was eager to talk to us about something. The purple unicorn controlled her enthusiasm and waited for her mentor to speak first.

“Princess Falca must have already told you of the pardon I granted you Undyne. I hope that you’ll enjoy your time with your brother as you experience the Shattered Isles. However, I expect you to be back and ready to serve out the rest of your sentence by the end of the fifth day.”

“Don’t worry my friend, she’ll be in good talons while on my isles,” King Grinnail assured her. Celestia nodded to the griffin king and then turned to her faithful student.

“Twilight would also like to explain some revelations she made last night while she was studying your token Undyne,” Celestia said as Twilight used her magic to teleport Katy's token next to herself.

“Your token’s magic is unique compared to every kind of magic I’ve ever experienced. Every magic signature is unique, however, there are similarities between signatures that can allow them to be categorized amongst a species or type of element of the world. Your token’s signature is completely exclusive to anything Equestria has discovered and I’m at a loss on the kind of spell the magic is forming within it. From what you told me yesterday, the spell within the token could be a teleportation enchantment of some sort but I can’t be sure. Whenever I try to use a scanning spell to determine the spell I reach a barrier of some sort. I tried to bypass the barrier but every unlocking spell I’ve tried falls short. The only method I know of that can break the barrier is if someone knew the key spell that will unlock it. Maybe if I examined Jack’s token as well I could-,”

“No,” I interrupted surprising Twilight.

“But Jack-,”

“You don’t need it,” I interrupted her again.

“May we ask why she doesn’t need your token?” Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

I was desperately trying to find a legitimate excuse, but I was taking too long to answer as everyone except Katy gave me a weird look. Katy was thinking as hard as I was to figure out an excuse but she was coming up with nothing. I looked back towards Celestia and Twilight, then noticed how unnervingly still they were. In fact, no one was moving at all.

......

I gazed around my surroundings and found that everyone was standing perfectly still, including Katy. I tried to shake her shoulder and was surprised when my hand passed right through her. I stared at my incorporeal hand and tried to figure out what was happening until I heard a familiar low elderly voice.

“It seems like you’ve backed yourself into a corner,” Valkorion said as he passed through Clesetia’s body like a ghost. The sight of him caused a spike of anger to grow within me but I controlled myself long enough to ask my question.

“What’s happening?”

“You’ve asked me that question twice today,” he said as he circled me, passing through ponies and griffins alike as he walked. His avoidance to my question amplified my anger further but I had enough control over myself to simply glare. After failing to get a rise out of me, Valkorion finally answered my question.

“We are speaking telepathically through the holocron. By the time we’re done speaking you’ll have an answer for the mistress of the sun.”

He walked over to Katy and examined her critically while stroking his beard. He continued to speak after he was done with his examination.

“In order to dispel the barriers from your holocron and your sister’s helm, you must infuse the tokens with your essence. This will activate the tokens and The Merchant will begin to shower replicas across the multiverse. As you both infuse your tokens, you can leave a message for other Displaced should they ever find them. If I were you, I would choose my words carefully when making the message. After all, you’ll have no choice but to serve them for seven days should you allow yourself to be summoned.”

“How do you know all this? Aren’t you just a gatekeeper for the holocron’s knowledge?” I asked suspicious.

“I’m no ordinary holocron gatekeeper as you’ll soon realize. To answer your first question, The Merchant gifted this holocron with knowledge of the multiverse and the many Displaced that reside within it. When the situation becomes necessary, I will enlighten you on any questions you may have about the multiverse.”

I absorbed everything he told me and frowned when he said he’ll tell me what I want to know at his leisure. As I stared at him, two questions kept burning in my mind.

“I have two questions and I expect you to not turn your back on me again.”

He just stared at me and waited for me to continue.

“I want the knowledge that lies within the holocron. I risked my freedom in order to obtain a way home for me and my sister, but I expect the blessing to go with the curse. So how do I prove myself worthy of the knowledge?”

He frowned at my question.

“A test of conflict will present itself to you at some point. When this test comes, you must come at it with the full might of your power without any constraints holding you back. Only then will you prove yourself worthy of the power given to you and the knowledge I safeguard.

“How do you know I’ll even be tested? This world is peaceful, and any significant conflict that’s bound to rise will already have the Elements of Harmony to face it,” I asked confused and frustrated.

“Tests of conflict always present themselves to those gifted by the Force. This is not a presumption, this is a fact. However, if you seek out a significant conflict, then you must face it before the Elements of Harmony. Was that your second question or do you have another?”

I hesitated a bit before asking my next question. I really, REALLY needed an answer to this next one.

“Is there a way for me to prevent what I saw in the vision this morning?”

He smiled and turned his back on me again. He started to walk away and a red hot fury swallowed my every thought.

“VALKORION!!!”

......

“Jack are you going to say something?” Celestia asked finally moving again.

I took a step back and tried calm down before my anger got the better of me again. Valkorion must have ended the telepathic link and it pissed me off to no end. As soon I got myself under control, I looked around to see everyone staring at me with worry. I smiled to try and ease their fears before speaking.

“Twilight doesn’t need my token because I already know how to lift the barrier.”

“You do?” Katy asked me.

I whispered into her ear that I would explain later as I continued my explanation.

“Me and my sister must infuse the tokens with our essence. That is the key spell that Twilight’s talking about. When we do this, it’ll activate the tokens and other Displaced like us will be able to summon us to their dimensions. Give Katy her token back and I’ll demonstrate.”

I took out the holocron that acted as my token and thought back to what Valkorion said. I concentrated and willed the Living Force that was a part of my body into the token. A soft red glow emitted from the holocron and I felt something unravel itself within. I thought long and hard about what my message will be to my fellow victims across the multiverse, and I voiced it for all to hear.

“I am Jack Krieger. I am a Sith, a lover of science, and most importantly, a brother. If you have need of me, say my name while holding my holocron and I will answer your call. Use of this token comes with a huge degree of trust on my part, and if you betray that trust, you’ll never see me again and my big sister will come after you.”

Katy snickered on that last part as I finished activating my token.

“Now it’s your turn Katy.”

“Just infuse the helmet with my essence. Okay, shouldn’t be too hard. How do I do that?” I asked my brother.

Jack chuckled at my expense and tried to explain the process.

“Imagine everything that is you. Remember every bad and good memory, anything that played a role in making you into what you are today. Imagine a piece of that flowing through your arm and into the helmet. Then be calm, and carefully word out what you would like the other Displaced to hear when they pick up your token.”

I followed Jack instructions and tried to sort through every memory I had. Joy flooded my mind as I thought about the first Christmas I could remember. How I ran down the stairs with a 2 year old Jack in my arms and saw a line of presents underneath the Christmas tree. Then sadness and anger filled my thoughts when I remembered another of my old suitors. How he showed his confusion and disgust of me when I told him that I was bisexual. I remembered all of that and more as I tried to will a piece of it into the token. The helmet began to glow blue and I thought about how I should word the message. When it came to me, I spoke it out loud.

“I am Katy Krieger, now known as the heroine Undyne, protector of the innocent and the spear of justice. If you require my aid simply . . . . . . . Okay you know what? SCREW THIS FORMAL BULL HONKEY!!!!! I AM THE ALMIGHTY BADASS KNOWN AS KATY BITCHES. 'Dear god don’t let a child find this'. *ahem* AS I WAS SAYING! I AM KATY BITCHES, GUARDIAN OF EVERYONE’S HOPES AND DREAMS, AND I LOVE HUGGING RANDOM STRANGERS. IF YOU WANT TO SUMMON ME, BE SURE YOU'RE NOT A PUSSY AND SAY MY NAME LOUD AND PROUD. KATY! FUCKING! BITCHES! *snicker* 'that sounded so wrong.' AFTER YOU GLORIOUSLY SHOUTED MY AMAZING NAME THAT I TOTALLY DIDN’T JUST MAKE UP, SHOUT AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS: NGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! Then I will come to your aid, so let’s have fun!”

Now satisfied with the message, I turned to see everyone’s reactions. Jack was giving me a thumbs up with his lips in a straight line trying to suppress his laughter.The royal sisters were trying to suppress their laughter as well but tried to present themselves as poise and regal in the presence of their subjects. Twilight was trying to write down everything I said onto a notebook floating in the air while her friends displayed their disbelief and shock. Fluttershy and Angel were covering their ears to ward off the intensity of my voice. Rarity was aghast that I would dare to use such foul language in front of the Princesses while Applejack just gave me disapproving stare. HK wasn’t fazed at all (‘what was I expecting, he’s a droid?’) and Vigilant Star facehoofed himself in embarrassment.

A boisterous laugh emanated from King Grinnail catching everyone, including his daughter, by surprise.

“HAHAHAHA! Oh my dear, I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in months! Hahaha, thank you for that.”

I chuckled at everyone’s reactions and gave Twilight the helm back so she could see if the barrier was gone. She took it into her purple telekinetic field and began to cast a few spells on it. When she was done, she had a grin that nearly took up half of her face.

“I take it that the happy smile means that the barrier is gone right?” I asked Twilight

“It’s like it never existed in the first place! I have complete access to the magic within the token and the enchantment it forms. I’ve never seen an enchantment quite like this before. The magic is powerful and ample yet is it is perfectly contained and designed in a way I’ve never seen before.”

“Do you think you can understand it?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know,” Twilight hesitantly. “I’ve never seen a more complicated enchantment. I’m not sure I’m suitable for such a challenge.”

“Nonsense,” Celestia said out of the blue, drawling everyone’s attention to her.

“You are my student Twilight Sparkle, and I am more than confident in your capabilities. I’m sure you’re up to the task.” The princess said causing her student to blush from the praise. Celestia turned her gaze towards me before speaking again. “Now then, before we send you off to enjoy your pardon with your brother, I have new orders for your handler.”

She walked up to Vigilant Star as he stood at attention and threw her a salute.

“Sergeant Star, you are hereby relieved of your duties as Undyne’s handler until her pardon has ended. Your new orders are now to escort her and be her bodyguard during her time on the Isles. Keep in mind that this means you have no jurisdiction on Undyne’s actions, and as her bodyguard, you must obey her every order so long as it doesn’t contradict your duties as a royal guard to Equestria. Are you up to this task?”
“Of course your highness! I assure you that I’ll carry out this assignment with the utmost professionalism,” Vigilant said enthusiastically.

King Grinnail came up behind the sergeant and gave him a friendly pat on the back before speaking.

“I do hope you’ll allow yourself to enjoy some of the pleasures the Isle of Gaiety has to offer as you perform your duties. It is after all a place where members of any species can come and relax. Now then, we should be off! Our alien guests must enjoy my island together while they still can.”

Just before the king began to lead us off towards Jack’s ship. Jack himself interrupted everyone before we were underway.

“Before we go, I would like to introduce Fluttershy to a friend of mine.”

……

“Oh my goodness! She’s so beautiful and nice,” Fluttershy said as Jack’s badass looking 15 meter long varactyl licked her face.

It was so adorable! Fluttershy’s face was as bright as Celestia’s sun when she saw Jack bring his mount down the Fury’s ramp. They both ran towards each other and I could immediately tell they would be the best of friends. Since Jack accidently scared off almost all of Fluttershy’s animals, he thought he would give her more company until her animal friends returned. Jack was going to let Fluttershy take care of the varactyl since we both were going to be occupied for the next five days. I enjoyed watching Angel bunny seethe in his jealousy as Fluttershy paid more attention to the newcomer.

“Now she is a herbivore, and while I don’t have any plants from her native planet, she does have a craving for beats and spinach. She must at least eat 60 pounds per day, and I generally divide it up into 4 meals. 1 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and the last one in the evening. I’ll take care of the costs when I come back, so save me the bill,” Jack instructed as Fluttershy enjoyed the affection the varactyl was giving her.

She stopped the reptavian creature long enough to fly over to Jack and wrapped her hooves around his torso. Jack was astounded by the shy pony’s actions, and he smiled warmly as he hugged her back. I was so proud to see that Jack managed to patch things up with Fluttershy after the disaster that happened yesterday. I would shed a tear if I wasn’t so badass. Fluttershy seemed to realize what she was doing and slowly broke off from the embrace. She returned to her normal quiet self and apologized when she thought she was being rude for hugging him without his permission. Jack didn’t mind at all, and told the shy pony how thankful he was for taking care of his mount.

We were off to Jack’s ship and I couldn’t be more excited. I was going to fly in a freaking spaceship! It was always a dream of mine to fly in the clouds with the finest of aircraft in modern times. But I never believed I would actually fly in a ship that came straight out of science fiction.

While I was enjoying the time of my life as we headed up the ramp, Vigilant started to look nauseous. We all waved goodbye to the princesses and the Mane 6 as the ramp drew itself up, then I patted Vigilant on the back to reassure him. He looked up at me and I threw him a confident grin as an irrepressible idea came to mind.

“Don’t worry buddy, this ship is nothing like those airships or carriages you guys fly around Equestria. This thing will fly smoothly, especially when I’m the one piloting it.”

Author's Note

IMPORTANT!!! READ IF YOU WANT A SNEAK PEAK ON THE NEXT CHAPTER

Wow, this chapter took much longer than I expected. I even had to skip the deadline I originally set up for myself. However, not everything goes exactly as we all plan.

But, I finally got a chapter out for everyone! Believe it or not this chapter was going to be much longer. I was typing nonstop and had to stop somewhere when I reached the 10,000 word mark. But this also means I've already started on the next chapter and it's going to be a fun one for me.

I know a few people were disappointed that Jack didn't tear the nobles of Canterlot a new one in the last chapter. Although, you are assured action and violence in the next one from both our main characters. There will be blood, passions will be inflamed, and the world will see a glimpse of the power both Undyne and the Empire's Wrath can wield.

Since Jack got the spotlight for most of this chapter, the next one will mostly be from the perspective of Katy/Undyne.

*SNEAK PEAK*

“I’M GOING TO EVISCERATE YOU. FIRST I’M GONNA RIP ONE OF YOUR LEGS OFF AND USE IT TO PUMMEL YOU AS BEG ME FOR MERCY. THEN I’LL USE A PIECE OF YOUR INTESTINES AS A CONDOM AS I FORNICATE WITH YOUR SKULL!!!”

“W-What?” My soon-to-be victim stuttered as he backed away.

Jack was slowly moving away from my warpath, but paused just to explain what I said.

“She’s going to skull fuck you.”

“But she is a female,” my victim argued.

“That’s not going to stop her,” my brother replied.

10) Crossing Continents and Universes

Author's Note

Super sorry that this took so long.

I helped write up a crossover chapter with fellow author NightStream in his story Beast Out.

This story was heavily re-edited to make sure that the crossover made sense and I hope you all enjoy the crossover on his story as well as this new one. The sneak peak I had in the previous chapter had to be moved up to the next chapter because it made this new one FAR too long. So anyway, next chapter is already being written and you can expect it in a week or two from the date this chapter was written.

10) Crossing Continents and Universes

"Mr. Shaper it's so beautiful," a tiny pegasus filly praised as her teacher sculpted Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's image out of a cloud. Every detail of the cloud sculpture was perfect after months of patience and skilled hoofwork. The sun shinned radiantly against the cloud Celestia's wings, presenting the image of a majestic goddess. The dark rain cloud that formed Luna's figure fiercely displayed small bursts of lighting that illustrated the power of the sculpture's namesake.

The masterpiece was almost done as Mr. Shaper put the finishing touches on Celestia's horn. He held his breath as he molded the condensed water vapor in his hooves, and finally released it when the horn took shape. His apprentice gleefully squealed her excitement as the piece was finished, and he flew back a couple meters to marvel at his work. Months of his labor had given form to a splendor that looked even more beautiful than the image he had held in his imagination.

For weeks he would accumulate pieces of clouds with the right color hue and density he required. On days where the weather was perfect, he would mold his cloud sculpture early in the morning till the sun fell upon the horizon. On days where the weather was hostile, he would tirelessly try to keep his sculpture from falling apart by using a special tarp that protected his art from the outside world. It was exhausting, every day challenged him, but his work was finally complete. He could look upon his work with pride at last, and he reveled in the praise his apprentice offered.

"When will you show it off at Canterlot Mr. Shaper?" His apprentice asked.

"Three days from now my apprentice. In three days, I'll be richer than any artist in the history of Equestria. Such a unique and perfect piece of art of our beloved princesses will have every noble lining up with their bits to buy my work." He paused for a moment to smell the air before continuing. "I can smell the mountain of bits waiting for us my apprentice."

The filly giggled at her teacher's enthusiasm before something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. She saw a black speck in the distance that swiftly became bigger the more she stared at it. Panic gripped her mind when she realized that the object was coming towards them, and she pushed her teacher out of the way before it could hit them. A huge black metal airship passed them and the wind left in its wake blew them hundreds of yards away from their original position.

The mysterious object that passed them was already far beyond the horizon before teacher and apprentice could regain their bearings. They flew back towards the sculpture, only to find it obliterated and nothing but a memory. The apprentice rubbed her teacher's back to comfort him as he hovered in the air, traumatized by the destruction of his work.

"I'm going to go cry on that cloud over there," Mr. Shaper said as he drifted away on weary wings.

"Yee-Haaaa!" I hoot loudly as I pushed the Fury’s thrusters further. The starship was difficult to understand at first, but Jack was a patient teacher. I was a great visual learner and Jack showed me the function of every little button on the pilot’s console as he flew us out of Ponyville. The starship controls were ultimately very different from the plane controls I studied and practiced with back home, but I adapted fast.

Jack would let me fly the ship a couple times from the co-pilot’s seat and would immediately take back the controls whenever I made a mistake. Eventually it got to the point where I didn’t need him as a safety net and I told to relax in the captain’s chair so he could plot out my flight path on the star map console. He trusted me with his new toy, and made sure to let me know that we weren’t going to take this ship on a joy ride. We have royalty on board, so this wasn’t the best time to take any risks.

I ignored him of course. I was flying a freaking spaceship! And there was no way in hell I wasn’t going to do everything I could to enjoy every single second of it.

“CHRIST! Damn it Katy slow down! You could’ve hit those pegasi back there,” Jack scolded as moisture from some weird cloud we hit soaked the window on the front view port.

I responded first by making the Fury do a loop de loop, causing the artificial gravity within the ship to fluctuate briefly to give us all a feeling of free-fall. I quickly turned my head towards Jack to give him a cocky grin before turning back to the console.

“Oh come on, I had the ship far away from them when I passed. All they should of felt was a nice breeze.”

He gave off a frustrated growl at my response before our attention was drawn towards a retching sound coming from down the hall in the lounge area. Before Jack could press the intercom button to ask what was going on back there, we heard talons hitting the hallway floor, and I looked back to see Falca walking onto the bridge with vomit covering the once elegant feathers on her chest.

“Sergeant Star vomited from that last trick you performed up here. Can we get a bucket for him and a mop for what he left on the floor? Also, do you-,” she paused to indicate her feathers before continuing, “have anything that can help me wash this off?”

“Oh geez, don’t worry I’m sure I have something that can help. Ok Katy, that’s enough with the fancy flying. Fly smoothly and get back on course towards the coordinates I sent to your console.” A set of latitude and longitude coordinates appeared on a planetary map screen next to my console, and told me the appropriate flight path to take. “When I get back here I’ll expect to see you flying safely and slowly. If you feel like you’re still having problems, just flip the auto-pilot switch. You got this?” Jack asked making sure I understood everything before he left to help our passengers.

“Don’t worry little bro I got this. Go help your girlfriend, and tell Vigilant I’m sorry,” I replied while hoping he would take the bait and get a little defensive for calling Falca his girlfriend.

“Falca is not my girlfriend Katy, just a very good friend. Stop trying to embarrass me again and focus on the flying.” He said sounding annoyed.

I gave him a lazy wave to reassure him and I heard his heavy footsteps travel down the hallway along with the clicks of Falca’s talons. I deaccelerated the ship a little bit and brought it back on course to our original destination. Now that I was alone on the bridge with just my thoughts, I relaxed and reveled in the feeling of flying again. It was an amazing feeling to look out the window of a flying vehicle and see the world pass underneath you. The feeling was enhanced when you knew you were the one in control of your flight. That carriage ride from Canterlot to Ponyville I had a week ago was nothing compared this.

This feeling I felt was a mix of joy, excitement, and a little bit of pride. But if I had to describe the feeling of flying in just one word, it would simply be freedom. Nothing, not even that bitch gravity, could keep you from where you wanted to go when you were up here in the sky.

“BY THE MAKER, IT’S EVERYWHERE.” I cringed as it sounded like Jack’s other droid companion 2V-R8 discovered the mess that Vigilant made in the lounge.

As soon as the alien siblings left to enjoy their time together in the griffin lands, Twilight Sparkle made her way back to the library to continue her study on Undyne’s helmet. Spike asked her if she wanted anything to eat or drink anything as she worked and Twilight responded that she had a craving for some tea right now. As Spike disappeared into the kitchen to carry out her request, the purple unicorn closed her eyes and performed a deep analysis spell on the helm.

The flow and structure of the magical enchantment within the token continued to baffle her. Even if she examined it for days without end she wasn’t sure if she’d ever understand the enchantment, let alone know how to use its supposedly extradimensional capabilities. The enchantment configuration was like a math equation problem where the commonly known symbols for addition or division were replaced with entirely foreign ones. Even if she sat there for days trying to find patterns to make sense of the semi-familiar parts of the enchantment, there were still parts of it that made no sense at all in her mind.

Nonetheless, Twilight was determined to make herself worthy of the praise that Princess Celestia gave her at Town Hall earlier. She would not fail her teacher, and she would not fail Undyne.

Spike returned with some tea and it broke her off from the use of the deep analysis spell. Thanking Spike with a smile, Twilight closed her eyes and enjoyed her beverage just as the helm began to glow briefly for a moment.

I placed the Fury on auto-pilot so I could examine the non-vital functions of the rest of my console. As soon as I flipped the switch, I had a strange faint feeling of someone calling out to me. My eyes roamed around the bridge in confusion as I felt it again, and I cupped a hand around my right fin to better hear the call. After a while I was about hit the intercom button to see if someone from the lounge was calling me until I heard a loud male voice in my head.

‘KATY I COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP RIGHT NOW!!!,’ the male voice yelled in my head, making me cringe. I closed my eyes and grasped my head like I was nursing a headache when the voice surprised me. I heard a strange crisp sound and opened my eyes to see a strange tall grey void in the middle of the bridge.

I slowly got up from the pilot’s chair as I eyed the void, and after a few seconds, I sensed that the person I heard was in grave danger. The voice I heard in my head was replaced with choking sounds, and I yelled for Jack to return to the bridge. I never took my eyes away from the grey void as I heard Jack’s heavy footsteps coming from behind me. He came into view on my right and seemed just as surprised as I was. I was about to ask Jack what he thought it was, until I remembered what The Merchant told us in our hallucination back in Ponyville.

“Jack I-I think this is a portal to another Displaced’s universe. I heard a man call for help in my head, and I think he is using a copy of my token to make that call.” Jack looked at me still looking surprised, and seemed to be trying to comprehend what I said before I continued. “I think I need to step through it in order to help him.”

Now Jack looked alert and scared.

“Wait! We don’t really know what this thing is. It could be some sort of… I don’t know… a trap maybe? You’re not going anywhere near it Katy,” Jack said while blocking the portal from view.

“Jack, I appreciate that you’re worried about me, but someone is in deep trouble. I think I can hear him choking in my head,” I said trying to dissuade my brother from blocking me. It had little effect on him as he refused to budge and then threw his arms up to block his sides to further limit any path towards the portal. I knew he meant well, but he should know that I can’t ignore this.

“There is someone out there calling for help, my help. You know as well as I do that there is nothing that will keep me from helping those that are hurt and in danger. Please Jack, let me go help whoever needs me.” Jack started to look defeated as I pleaded to him, and he slowly brought his arms back down to his sides. He likely remembered when I went to the aid of strangers all the time when we were just normal humans back on earth. I always stood up for those who couldn’t defend themselves, and a new body still hasn’t changed that fact about me

“Then I’m coming with you, we’ll face whatever danger this stranger is facing together.” Jack said as he placed a clawed hand on my shoulder. I shook my head at this.

“No, if you’re right, and that this is a trap, then I’m the only one that is going to spring it. You stay here and wait for me to come back,” I said as I took a few steps towards the portal. Jack’s grasp on my shoulder tightened a bit to stop me, and I glared at him with my one eye to silently signal him to let me go. He slowly released me, but not before asking me to wait for a moment as he left the bridge to go get something.

He returned with a gray plastic bottle in his hands and told me what it was and why he got it.

“This is a water bottle I got from a fridge within the captain’s quarters. You told me how you got dehydrated back in Canterlot and how it made you too weak to move. Use this if that happens again. You also could use this as an item to heal yourself if you get hurt as well.” He said as he lifted the bottle up for me to grasp. I moved to take it, but before he released it, he said one more thing. “Promise that you’ll come back to me, please.”

My little brother’s eyes were filled with worry for me, and it warmed my heart to see that. I gave him a confident, toothy grin and placed a hand over my chest to make the promise to him and to myself.

“I promise you that I will return. And if I get lost, rest assured that we will find each other again.” Jack nodded his head accepting the promise, and released the water bottle to me. I placed the bottle in my back pocket and turned to face the portal.

I took a few deep breaths before I rushed into the void to aid whoever needed the help of a heroine.

Katy had been gone for far too long.

After telling the others in the ship what happened on the bridge, I made sure that the Fury got to the Shattered Isles with little trouble. They were all surprised by Katy’s departure to say the least. Falca and her father offered me comforting words to help with my worries and I was thankful to them for that. After Vigilant got over his unsettled stomach, he started to pace around the lounge area of the ship in worry for my sister. He made sure to avoid King Grinnail’s guards after he just vomited over their king’s daughter, and the only thing that kept him from being pummeled by them was Falca’s clemency on the matter. The droids reacted calmly to Katy’s departure, and dutifully told me that they were ready to do anything to help their master. 2V-R8 brought up a list of functions he was capable of to alleviate my stress while HK-55 told me how assassinating targets did wonders for his behavior core. I gave thanks to the droids as well for their offers of help, but I didn’t think any of what they offered could help me.

There was still no word from Katy when we arrived at the Shattered Isles and landed the ship next to King Grinnail’s castle. The king waited with us for an hour before he had to leave and attend to duties he had to postpone due to our trip to Equestria. He kept a guard with us and told the griffin to inform him when there was news of Katy’s return. Vigilant stayed with me on the ship of course, (what else was he going to do?), and Falca continued to remain at my side while we waited.

When we left Ponyville, we were supposed to be going on some sort of vacation. My sister and I were supposed to enjoy this island that was literally named after merriment and festivity for five days.

‘Why are plans such fragile things? Why does life always find a way to dash our expectations to the ground?’ I pondered as I sat down on a couch in the Fury’s lounge.

It was about mid-afternoon in the day and I was left with nothing but twiddling thumbs and restless thoughts. I envied Vigilant as he somehow found a way to nap on the floor in full armor with his hooves tucked underneath him. Falca sat next to me on the couch playing with her tail to pass the time and I believe I would have found it utterly adorable if my thoughts weren’t so distressed. The droids found other things to pass the time around other parts of the ship by being productive and tried to see if there was anything that required maintenance. I tried to meditate to pass the time, but my mind refused to calm down even when I called upon the Force to help.

Another ten minutes passed by with no success on the mediation idea, and I realized that the droids had the right idea. Back before I was just human, I used productive work all the time to silence any chaotic thoughts. If I had a test a week from now I would study for it. If I was the only one home after school I would cook dinner for the rest of the family. Hell, I’d even do some loot farming on swtor for my Sith warrior, back when he was just a character from a video game.

‘I need to be productive, that’s what I need to do,’ I concluded as I thought of things to do. I looked around the lounge for anything to do till my eyes settled on Falca, still using her tail to pass the time. Looking at her I remembered that I intended to help her people understand the technology I possessed. That was when inspiration struck, and I moved off the couch to head towards the cargo bay.

Falca’s attention was brought away from her tail with my sudden movement and she looked up to see me beckoning her to follow me. Smiling with eyes filled with curiosity, Falca followed me through the ship’s metal corridors to the cargo bay. I picked up a datapad manifest that 2V-R8 kindly made for me to help me navigate the vast hoard of loot I collected during years of MMO farming and PVP dueling matches. I skimmed through my collection of weapons and armor, all inferior to the gear I wielded now, and found what I was looking for. Raw materials and crafting items I used to create gear I would either use for myself or sell on the virtual marketplace.

Ever since The Merchant told me that I held the memories of the Empire’s Wrath within my neural implant, I wondered if the memories contained more just the experience of a warrior that dedicated decades of his life perfecting his skills in combat through constant warfare. I was correct when I scanned through the raw materials and new foreign memories registered within my mind. It was overwhelming knowing the proper techniques to mold duravlex into weapon modifications that can improve common blaster pistols and rifles. I even knew how to reverse engineer those very same modifications and use the raw materials to make new modifications for armor instead.

What was even more spectacular to me, was that I knew how to create more lightsabers with the materials I had available to me. LIGHTSABERS, the very weapon that has been an obsession for nerds and geeks like me for decades. I had the crafting skills to create amazing weapons, armors, medicines, and so much more. I even had an impressive array of insight on how to gather more of these materials on several other, likely unreachable, planets in the Star Wars galaxy.

Right now though, I was going to focus on something I could teach to Falca and her people. I’ll hold back on the weapons for now until they’re ready for them, but the rest of this knowledge and technology should be shared. The knowledge I hold could teach the griffins of the Shattered Isles how to create medical marvels that can be just as magical as any other spell in their world. With the help of HK and 2V-R8, I could even help them understand the military-grade computers and communications equipment that are integrated in the Fury’s hardware.

‘So many possibilities are possible with this knowledge. Life and civilization on this planet can improve immeasurably with what is held within these memories. Let’s test this knowledge out and create something practical,’ I thought as I spied a list of biochemical samples and compounds on the manifest.

“What are you going to do Jack?” Falca asked bringing my attention away from the manifest. She looked up at me curiously and I sensed that she was feeling happy at the sight of me animated and working, instead of sitting around filled with worry. I smiled down to her as I responded to her question.

“I’m going to create a simple medical marvel from another galaxy.”

Using the Force, I telekinetically lifted over a crate filled with the materials I needed and brought them over to the workbench within the cargo hold. This was no simple workbench however, this was a universal work station that can help me craft or modify anything I wanted from the game. In swtor, your companions would be the ones crafting whatever you wanted while you continued to play the game. My companions of course needed a work station to create my items, so it would make sense that they would have access to tools on the ship in a real life scenario. But I had no intention of being bereft of the joy of creating my own work now that I could physically hold the materials and know precisely how to use them.

The workbench held all kinds of tools and devices to help me create what I needed. The foreign memories told me how to use the material recycler station that can help me obtain the bare components of what I need. There was a fabricator filled with designs in its databanks that can create every individual piece of what I need. Even a robotic arm embedded into the workbench rested on standby, ready to firmly hold whatever I intended to create.
With the design of what I intended to create in mind, my hands reached into the crate to begin. I could feel the Force flowing vibrantly within me as I gave myself something better to do.

……

It only took an hour to create what I wanted on the workbench. Working with chemicals again reminded me of all the lab projects I would complete in the chemistry labs back in college. Using nutrient gel, nerve-dampening chemicals, the miracle substance that was bacta, and a hypo-syringe to contain it all, I created my first medpack. It was a high grade medpack compared to all the other medpacks from the game, and it filled me with pride to see it finished on the workbench. Small, red, and blocky with a syringe on the end of it, the medpack was ready to administer quick relief to any who were hurt.

Falca watched me work with complete fascination the entire time, and thankfully held back her questions until the end. I picked it up to give it to her and allowed her to examine the medpack while I used a scanner on the worktable to examine her anatomy. Like the scan that HK performed on Fluttershy’s Angel, pages of data rolled across the scanner’s holoscreen to show me the results. While I couldn’t process all the information as fast as the assassin droid could, I could use a program within the scanner to see if Falca’s griffin biology would be safely compatible with the biological compounds within the medpack. After ten seconds of data processing, the computer within the universal workbench used data files and programs from the med bay’s computer to show me that griffins would not be affected negatively by the medpack’s affects. I would have to use a larger sample size that just Falca in the future, but I ultimately considered this little project a huge success. Sadly my supply of bio materials was not unlimited, and I knew I would have to consider alternatives native to this planet if the griffins of the Shattered Isles were going to mass-produce this medical marvel.

I told her how the medpack could heal almost any kind of physical injury by helping the body regrow tissue, including nerves, skin, and muscles by promoting rapid regeneration of organic compounds. Broken bones like the ones she suffered from the Aper Major could be healed in less than a day than in a week from that red restorative gel she used. I even explained how the medpacks could serve military applications as well by telling her how soldiers from the Star Wars universe could use a medpack after being severely injured to get back into the fight.

“This is amazing Jack, your technology could revolutionize the advancement of medicine for the entire world. Imagine what we could do with your creation if we integrated it with the magic of our world,” Falca said in awe of the object in her talons.

‘My creation? Well it’s not really MY creation so to speak. The creation of the medpack probably came from some scientist in the Star Wars universe hundreds of years before the Empire’s Wrath. Heh, the knowledge to create the medpack came from the memories of the Empire’s Wrath after he spent months studying and practicing HIS craft. All I did was use his memories. I didn’t put in the work and effort, it was all… just given to me. I didn’t work hard to obtain this knowledge, these powers, this impressive body, and this ship. I’m just a 19 year old, unambitious kid who went off to college to obtain his biochemistry degree. Why do I deserve to have any of this?’ I questioned as I looked around the ship.

Sure I played the game to obtain all this loot but that was all through a mouse and keyboard. In the foreign memories I can see the real Empire’s Wrath working hard to perfect his skills and he fought through perilous quests face to face, instead of through a computer screen. What right do I have to anything that he earned? Everything I’ve done in this world, and everything that I could accomplish, will be because I have his body.

This realization humbled me and I slowly backed away from Falca until my back thumped against the wall. I was back to thinking depressing thoughts as I slid down the wall and sat on the floor. Falca was looking at me with a worried look again, and I could sense that wanted to ask what was wrong. She placed the medpack back on the workbench and walked over to sit next to me.

“Jack what’s wrong, why are so upset again?” she asked with a smile, hoping that I may smile as well. I sighed at the question before responding.

“It’s just… the knowledge I used to create that medpack didn’t come from me. The knowledge to create the medpack and all my other new skills came from the bastard that sent me here. I didn’t really earn the things you see on this ship. Everything, including my body, are just copies The Merchant made for me, and I don’t even know why he gave them to me. Did The Merchant actually think I deserved these powers and this knowledge, or is it just entertaining to watch a kid run around in a powerful man’s skin? I can’t help but wonder if all my achievements from now on will be because of the Empire’s Wrath, not Jack Krieger.” By the end of my explanation, I lightly smacked the back of my head against the wall in frustration.

‘Damn it, I probably sounded like a huge baby to her. I got powers I didn’t deserve, whoop de doo, and here I am finding a reason to bitch about it.’

Katy got a new body too, but she is actually working hard to understand her newfound powers as Undyne. I had memories literally inserted into my brain, and had the benefit to know how to use the lightsaber almost masterfully by day one. Sure I worked to maintain that skill, but it is much harder to even obtain that mastery over the lightsaber in the first place, or in practically every discipline that requires hard work. No wonder Valkorion said I wasn’t worthy of the knowledge contained within my token.

Falca seemed to be contemplating what I said, and she smiled sadly when she spoke again.

“I know how that feels. To have almost everything practically given to you. As a daughter to one of the most powerful griffins in the world, I have access to more luxuries and power than almost any other griffin in the existence. I get to live in comfort just by being born, while some griffons have to work to the bone just to feed their families. I was born into House Hialla, I never actually earned the right.” Her words surprised me and all thoughts I had about myself were gone in an instant.

“But aren’t you working hard to become a leader of your people? I mean, you told me how you had to gain prestige and notoriety if you were ever going to take your father’s place on the throne. Wasn’t that why you were fighting the Aper Major, to earn your father’s approval and votes from other members of your House?” I argued.

She chuckled at my words and looked away as her wings shifted a little on her sides.

“I most likely would have never have been able to accomplish anything I’ve done if I wasn’t raised with the education I received. My siblings and I were given the best tutors in every field of study required by a griffin royal of House Hialla. Our best warriors taught us the ways of combat and the arts of war. Our top professors at our best universities taught us math, science, the ways of magic, and our people’s history. Even my uncle, a seasoned governor of the Summer Island, taught me the intricacies of politics before I became Lady of the Summer Island. By griffin standards I am considered to be very beautiful, and I have great genetics and a pampered lifestyle to thank for that as well.”

Her voice was starting to sound a little somber as she continued.

“There are four ways to become a member of my House. One, you marry into the House, but you’ll never actually hold any real power considering your significant other is the real member of the House. Two, you can perform great feats like you did, and have the monarch recognize you as part of the House. Three, if you are born to a lesser noble of the House, you still have to work hard by yourself to earn a membership alongside your parents. There can be no assistance from the parents since it can diminish the work the child put in to earn it. They can receive care and a general education like any other griffin, but that’s it. My little cousin Enyo became a member of the House by learning how to understand people, and was elected by the griffins of the Summer Island to become a director of public affairs for the island. She is younger than me and earned her membership without having the vast education that I had. The fourth way is how I became a member, I was simply born into it by having the monarch of the House as my father. Even if I’m not the one chosen to become the next monarch, I still have the option to choose any career path that I wish. I was born very lucky Jack.”

My respect for Falca grew after hearing her explanation. Punks with rich parents were very common back on earth. These brats sometimes never understood that they were lucky to have parents that were rich enough to bail them out of their problems. Falca’s acknowledgment of the benefits she was born with was kinda familiar to my own acknowledgment of the gifts I’ve received.

“But the fact that I was born lucky is not what’s really important,” Falca continued. “It’s what I do with what I’ve been given that’s essential. If I’ve been given the best education that money can buy, then I’m going to use it to its fullest potential. How I do that is by working to become the best possible leader that I can be. I might not be the most suitable queen of the Shattered Isles, but I can still work to help people by being the best griffin I can be. My uncle may have lost to my father in his bid for the throne, but he still became a governor of the Summer Island and had a wonderful family. You and I can do great things with our abundance of gifts Jack, there’s no need to feel ashamed of it.”

She was smiling again and I realized what she was trying to say. I may not have earned my powers, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t use them to their fullest. I have the power and knowledge to change the world for the better, and I refuse to not take this chance I’ve been given.

“Thank you,” I said sincerely. Falca’s words were just what I needed and I curled my left arm around her neck to give her a hug.

Falca was surprised and tensed her shoulders, and I panicky thought that I may have broken some rule by touching her this affectionately. I was about to quickly move away from the hug until Falca grabbed my hand with her talons.

“No, thi-this is fine Jack,” Falca said as she curled my arm around herself a little tighter. She leaned in to hug me as well with her wing briefly before she rested her head on my chestplate. After a few moments passed with nothing else happening, I panicky tried to think of anything to make her more comfortable. I remembered something she said when we first met, and I boldly had my hand travel further towards the lion portion of her body. My clawed gauntlet roamed across her fur, and so far she wasn’t objecting to what I was doing. After stroking her fur for about a minute, she started to make the most curious sound.

She was purring.

I smiled and nearly chuckled at this revelation that a griffin could purr like a regular house cat, and my eyes began to roam across her body as I continued to pet her. I don’t think I ever truly realized how much of a beautiful creature she was. It was curious and striking at the same time to see yellow feathers intermingled perfectly with the majority of her dark brown ones. Her fur concealed layers of toned muscle, with just a tiny little bit of plump around the haunches that most likely was the result of years of royal pampering. Her wings were majestic and were likely capable of great feats of flight.

We sat like this for a couple moments, simply enjoying each other’s company. I never thought I would find someone, outside of my family, who I could divulge my personal feelings to. But then again, I am a part of Falca’s family since I joined her House. Does that mean I should consider treating her like family now?

‘She definitely deserves some serious contemplation at the very least.’ I thought as I looked down at her.

The moment was over when a circular void popped into existence before us in the cargo hold. Katy walked out of the void with a satisfied smile on her face, and her smile widened when she saw us holding each other. I thought I was going to burst an eardrum when a loud squeal of joy emitted from behind her smiling teeth.

“EEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAA!!! You two look so cute together! Oh Jack, were you trying to make a move on the princess while I was away? Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Katy said while wagging an index finger.

“SHUT UP KATY!” I yelled as I leapt away from Falca and got right up in Katy’s face. My sister continued to grin like a mad woman, and I knew I couldn’t really get mad at her. I was just happy to know she was alright.

I lifted her up into a tight bear hug, and she hugged me back just as tightly.

After telling Falca and Jack about my little adventure in an alternate universe, we decided it was about time that our vacation got underway. Apparently I was only gone for a few hours in this universe despite my long stay in Gregar’s universe. I was going to miss my fellow displaced, and hoped we could meet up soon to fight more baddies in the future. I also hoped he would take advantage of the ‘special benefits’ that came with having me as a friend as well. I patted my right pocket to make sure that his token was still there as Falca and I waited for Jack to come out of the cargo hold.

My little brother told me there was no way he was going to go on vacation in full armor, and was going to shift through his loot to find the appropriate outfit. In the meantime, I asked for Falca’s help with my now tatty tank top. I suffered a few wounds while I was away, and one of them left two gaping holes in the lower back and belly portion of the undershirt. Since most of shirt’s lower portion was in shreds, I asked Falca to use her talons to cut off the lower half of the tank top.

My spectacular abs were now on full display after Falca turned my simple top into a skimpy short tank top, and I sighed as I threw the shirt’s remains into a nearby trashcan in the ship’s lounge. I really needed to find some new clothes and hoped Rarity could make me some new ones when I got back to Ponyville. I wasn’t ashamed of my new fishy body, but I definitely didn’t want to run around Eques in my birthday suit.

Vigilant was overjoyed when he found out I returned and I could nervously tell he wasn’t going to let me out of his sight again this entire trip. I did leave without telling him again, and I actually started to feel a little guilty when I realized that I didn’t give him a moment’s consideration before I jumped through universes. It’s his job to watch over me and I was surely making that job a nightmare to deal with. I’ll have to make it up to him while we’re visiting this ‘Island of Gaiety’.”

Jack’s heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway leading to the cargo hold, and we all anticipated what Jack decided to put on for our vacation. I felt my jaw drop at my brother’s choice of clothes, or near lack of.

An ornate black metal diadem sat upon his head that blended well with his raven hair. Shadowy silk sleeves were bound across his arms with buckles strapped to his biceps. Bands around his shoulders were connected to small metal rig on his back that is likely used to carry weapons such as vibroswords or heavy duty blaster rifles. The long flowing lower robes around his legs had a split in the front that revealed that he had replaced his boots with tattered gray gladiatorial sandals that went up to his kneecaps. His lightsaber was connected to his waist by a subtle little strap that made the weapon look like it was attached to nothing. But the most glaring feature of his outfit was that he was completely bare chested!

“Uh Jack, any reason why you picked an ‘outfit’ that makes you look like a stripper in some girl’s bachelorette party?” I asked my brother in a slightly high-pitched tone. He placed his hands on his waist and raised a brow before responding.

“In case you didn’t notice, I’m no longer that cute petite boy from back home. I have a body that NEEDS to be displayed to the rest of the world.” And to emphasize his point, he brought our attention towards his ridiculously large pecs when he made them bounce up and down before continuing. “Also this was the only thing that I had that wasn’t full body armor. Seriously, I have armor sets and Jedi robes galore but practically nothing even resembling casual clothes. This is all I got because I wanted my character to look sexy in some of his romance scenes.”

I shrugged my shoulders in acceptance of Jack’s choice of outfit and looked at the others to gauge their reactions. Falca didn’t seem to mind Jack’s outfit too much, but I noticed how her eyes traveled up and down my brother’s form very briefly. Vigilant on the other hand seemed to have an entirely different opinion on the matter.

“It wouldn’t be wise for a warrior to leave their armor behind, even when going on vacation. You never know when an assassin may try to take advantage of your vulnerable hide,” Vigilant said while rubbing his chin with his hoof. Falca laughed softly at Vigilant’s comment, and he raised a brow at her in a gesture for her to explain herself.

“You should really try to relax while you’re here Vigilant Star. The Island of Gaiety is a place where you come to ease tension, not build it up. If anyone were to come here with ill intent on our alien visitors, I’m sure Jack would sense them way before they became a threat.” Jack smiled at the confidence that Falca had in him. “Anyway, let’s get underway before we spend any more of Katy’s pardon on this ship.”

“Hell yeah, I want to see what’s so special about this getaway island of yours.” I said as we moved to exit the ship

……

After sending a messenger to King Grinnail to tell him of my return, a luxurious carriage carried by griffins soared us across the Shattered Isles. I poked my head through each window more than twice to get a view of Falca’s kingdom and I couldn’t be more fascinated. Equestria was beautiful and all, but its beauty was shown multiple times from the show. The Shattered Isles were completely new to me, and I envied Jack for seeing it first. The crown city of Horaca was startlingly huge and I never thought I could see a place packed with so many griffins flying through the air to go about their day to day lives. The amount of activity I saw in Horaca’s harbor was only matched by the crowds of griffins in the massive market square. Then my eyes were caught on the dozens of airships floating in the air next to Horaca’s cloud city district, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it was like to fly them.

In our journey to the Isle of Gaiety, we also got the chance view two of the other isles. One of them was a large island rich with lavish fields of crops and different sections of the landmass were enveloped in diverse forms of weather. Griffins tended to gloomy clouds and watered their crops down below, while moving other clouds out of the way to make sure that some fields received enough sunlight. Lush vineyards dotted the eastern edge of isle and this was where Falca said the finest wines on this side of the world were created. This was the Summer Island, an island that could rival Equestira’s lavish beauty.

The second island was far smaller than any of the others. Its landscape was dominated by a large black spire that pierced the clouds and was surrounded by gigantic, blue glowing stones that floated above the ground. These stones surrounded the spire as if they were moons circling a planet, and I could feel the magic radiating off of their surfaces even when we were flying miles away from them. This was the Nether Island, home to the College of Mystics.

Finally we had neared our destination, and I had to say, the Island of Gaiety was an impressive sight. From the air, the island was shaped like a crescent moon with a wide beach covering the majority of the inside edge. A city of lofty hotels and numerous diverse buildings hugged the beach, while crowds of people from nearly every race were seen enjoying themselves in the sand. Griffins, ponies, minotaurs, zebras, even a small number of diamond dogs could be seen as we flew closer to the isle.

When I watched a few of them play in the ocean, a peculiar sight caught my eye when I saw an earth pony mare swimming faster than physically possible. As I focused my sight on the mare, I noticed that she wasn’t actually moving her hooves to swim, and was actually clinging to a mysterious figure hidden figure underneath the water. The hidden figure then revealed itself when it escaped the confines of the water by leaping through the air. The sight was mystifying when I saw that it was in fact a pink colored sea pony carrying the earth pony mare on its back. I wanted to see more of the two, but I quickly lost sight of them as we moved closer to the Island and more of it was revealed to us.

I took notice of an odd structure on the northern tip of the island that I at first thought was a colossal marble statue, but then realized it was actually a building. The statue-like construction was shaped like a griffin female resting easily on her side with her wings spread wide out in front of her as if she were giving a hug to a small child. Her wings provided shade to people as they traveled towards a large, baroque stylized entrance that was carved into her belly. The amount of detail on the statue/building hybrid was amazing as I saw carvings of large in depth feathers along her upper body and sleek fur along her lower body. When I gazed upon the statue’s head, I found it strange when I saw that its eyes were lidded seductively towards the people that came towards her.

Further inland and connected to the city beach were three city districts that stretched northeast, southeast, and directly east. The northeast district consisted of diverse buildings similar to the beach city, but had multiple street performers and luxurious market stalls lining the main road with a street square that had a massive ornate fountain in its center. The southeast district had fewer buildings and looked more like a park filled with emerald trees and a crystal clear lake.

The eastern district had the least amount of buildings, and its main road led towards a colosseum that sat on a hill in the center of the island. The colosseum was undoubtedly the district’s main attraction as it seemed to overshadow nearly every other attraction on the island. It was like staring at the roman colosseum back when it was in its prime and entertained an entire empire. The cheers of a crowd could be heard even when we were miles away in a flying chariot. The four arches on the axes of the building were decorated with dozens of statues depicting warriors from multiple races in full battle attire. An old statue of a zebra stallion garbed in light tribal cloths and pelts held a spear in the crook of his hoof. A pegasus mare statue in a scale armored chestplate carried no weapons in her hooves, but had sharp metal blades lining the edges of her feathers. Another statue depicted a minotaur that held no weapons or gear but displayed thick corded muscles that could easily rival Jack’s. Astonishingly, there was even a grand statue of Celestia standing amongst the other warriors with a sword sheathed at her side.

There were multiple griffin statues, however, one stood out among the rest on the top. The marble feathers on his head were long and braided together to hang off the side of his face. His broad shoulders and hulking stature was outfitted with primitive armor consisting of wood, steel, and leather. He held in his right talons a Japanese naginata spear covered in a mystic bright light at the blade’s tip. Falca came up next to me at the window and noticed what I was staring at.

“That is my ancestor Hialla, the griffin that formed my family’s House and became the first Warden of the Shattered Isles. He created the Titan Arena to test his might against warriors from all over the world. Back then the Arena was just a pit in the middle of the hill, but you can see how far it’s come over the centuries of my House’s existence,” Falca explained to me.

……

We landed on the roof of one of the larger luxury hotels in the city and were met with an entourage of griffins anticipating our arrival. The males wore sleek black tuxedos with ribbons tied onto their tails while the females wore crimson vests and skirts with tiny bells tied to their own tails. Each gender carried a tray of food and formed a single file line along different sides of a red carpet that led straight to a closed elevator door. After we all disembarked from the carriage, Falca gave off an annoyed sigh at the sight of the griffin entourage.

“What’s the matter Falca?” I asked as I tried one of the cheese squares on one of the platters. It was a little too bitter for my tastes.

“I was hoping we could avoid him for a little bit as you both enjoyed the island. But I suppose father must have warned him of our arrival. Might as well get this over with,” Falca answered as she shifted uncomfortably on her hind paws and talons.

“What are you talki-,” I said before cutting off my own sentence when I heard a ding coming from the elevator.

The doors opened and released a dense fog from within its confines. Two griffins carrying a gray box by a handle in their beaks walked out of the fog, and I realized that it was the boxes that were creating the weird fog as it dispersed the precipitation from an opening at the bottom. Next walked out two dark green and black feathered griffin females with eagle-like upper bodies that… wait a second… they had a pony’s hindquarters instead of a feline’s, they were hippogriffs! Each carried two sheathed scimitars on their flanks that almost covered their cutie marks. The green feathered one’s cutie mark depicted a cobra with drops of venom dripping from its fangs, while the black feathered one’s depicted a python constricting itself around some sort of prey animal.

The two hippogriffs stood at attention on each side of the elevator door and raised a wing towards the door before closing their eyes and opening their beaks. They sang a steady single high note as the fog dissipated and revealed the last occupant of the elevator.

It was another griffin, a very… different… looking griffin. His avian features portrayed a falcon like Falca’s, and his feathers were colored a deep midnight purple. The irises of his eyes were gold like Falca’s as well, and his talons were fitted with rings that comprised of multiple gemstones like rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. His lion hide was painted with black stripes that stretched all the way to his paws and to his tail where a small black silk ribbon was tied off at the end. He wore a black and purple suit and vest without the tie and had a few of the upper buttons unfastened to show off more of the feathers on his chest. He stretched his wings out wide as he stepped off the elevator and every single deep purple feather was perfectly aligned as the evening sun shinned radiantly upon them.

His beak was curved in a smile and his eyes were lidded as he regarded Jack and myself. He gracefully strolled across the red carpet towards us and the two singing hippogriffs rested their wings to their sides as they followed the griffin. As soon as he reached us he brought his right wing across his chest as he bowed before us and the singing hippogriffs ceased to bow as well. He slowly rose back up, the hippogriffs perfectly synchronizing with him, and finally spoke at last.

“Oooooh yes,” he said with a pause before continuing. “You two darlings are more exotic to look at in person than in the papers. I am Prince Thistle, second born to my father King Grinnail of House Hialla, Keeper of the Titan Arena, proud owner of the House of Selene, and lover of everything new and exotic. Welcome to the Island of Gaiety."

11) A Prince Who Sleeps With Serpents

This griffin was grandiose if nothing else. Boreus was right when he said that I would have to meet Prince Thistle himself if I was to understand him truly. Verbose descriptions, written or otherwise, on Thistle’s character would have done the Hiallan prince no justice. After he surprised all of us with his grand entrance at the elevator, he surprised me yet again when I tried to touch his mind with the Force as he walked down the red carpet.

My mindreading was met with firm mental defenses as my probing was met with white noise and a peerless black void. This was certainly not the main focus of Thistle’s thoughts and I expected that he sensed my attempts to see his surface thoughts. My suspicions were confirmed when the brief image of a winking Thistle replaced his dull mental images for a moment. He continued to walk toward us on the red carpet and he displayed no physical indication that he was irked by my mental intrusion. He was the embodiment of elegance as he welcomed my sister and me.

“…Welcome to the Island of Gaiety,” he finished with a fruity and bubbly voice. His smile seemed completely genuine as he gazed upon me and my sister. The two hippogriffs with the snake cutie marks remained stoic behind him and perfectly timed their gazes upon the prince and the surrounding area, as if searching for threats. Prince Thistle walked over to Falca after his greeting and the hippogriffs matched each of his strides with their own to stay within a meter’s distance behind him.

“My dearest little sister,” he said as he kissed both of her cheeks. “It is so good to see you again, and I’m glad to also see you in good health as well.”

“My dearest elder brother,” Falca replied as she kissed both of Thistle’s cheeks as well. “I’m surprised to hear that, considering you never once visited me while I was in the castle infirmary. Did it ever once occur to you to write me a letter at the very least? Or did you have no servants to spare on the matter?” Her voice was level despite the venom in her words.

The prince’s smile turned sad at his sister’s questions but he was quick to respond.

“I am afraid that I was quite busy carrying out a favor for our dear little brother Hyde. You remember that certain ‘item’ he’s been searching for?”

“You mean…” Falca paused in surprise as her eyes drifted towards Katy and me before carrying on. “You mean you found a clue, or did you actually find its location?”

“The former, and I’ll be sure to tell you all about it at a later time, but I have a gift for you. Consider it an apology for not being there for my beloved little sister during a most stressful trial.”

Thistle snapped his talons and one of the male sever staff lining the red carpet broke ranks to bring out a thin book-sized object covered in red wrapping paper and a frilly bow. The server walked up to Falca and presented the gift with a bow then retreated back to his position once Falca took hold of the gift. Falca studied the wrapped gift in her talons before realization dawned on her face. She was about to rip into the wrapping paper until her brother stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

“This isn’t what I think it is, is it?” Falca asked, and Thistle smiled in response. “How did you find one? Is it in mint condition? Please, Thistle, you must tell me,” Falca pleaded.

“Don’t worry sister, nothing has yet besmirched your gift. The previous owner had used preserving charms to keep his collection in the best possible condition. He was a young unicorn lad from Trottingham and I managed to convince him to part with this piece of his collection after a fair price was agreed upon. I even sweetened the deal for him when he got to spend a rememberable night with me and my two favorite girls. That happy grin I left him with probably stayed with him for weeks after that day,” Thistle said with a far off look and a grin.

‘Did he just admit to his sister that he had a foursome with some unicorn just to get her a gift.’ I thought bewildered as I watched the two siblings.

Falca was smiling and rolled her eyes at her brother before something dawned on her and she looked at him with a glare.

“Wait, ‘for weeks’, exactly how long have you had this?” Falca asked as she raised the wrapped gift up to his face. Thistle’s grin turned coy at his sister’s question as he responded.

“I may have gotten it only to save it for a rainy day. Rainy days like when you need to appease your favorite sister after you drank from her private wine cellar, broke her favorite vase, or… neglected to visit her while she was hospitalized,” Thistle answered with a grin still on his face. Falca continued to glare holes into her brother, but the prince shrugged and laughed it off. “Oh come off it, you know you love me.”

“Well… you’re not wrong,” Falca said with a sigh before handing the gift back to her brother. “Thank you, Thistle.”

“Of course Falca. Don’t worry, I’ll send it to your estate on the Summer Island where you can unwrap it and enjoy its contents in privacy,” as he said this the male griffin servant broke ranks again to take the gift from Thistle’s talons before retreating to his position once more.

“Now then, honored guests,” Thistle said as he turned to address me and my sister, his tail waving cheerfully. “My father has tasked me with escorting and presenting you with all that this magnificent island has to offer. May I suggest that we start everything off with a round of fine dining in my hotel’s café? The seafood is to die for, darlings.”

Katy was eating another piece of cheese and shrugged her shoulders at the suggestion, then I realized that I was feeling kinda peckish. I don’t think I’ve eaten a thing since we left Ponyville this morning.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea Prince Thistle.”

“Oh please Jack, you can call me by just my name if you wish, any member or friend of House Hialla has the right to call me whatever they want. By the way, welcome to the family,” he said as he got on his hind legs to embrace me in a hug. Being a lover of hugs like most of my family, I moved into the hug and smiled along with him as I enjoyed the feeling of his soft feathers on my crimson skin. Thistle used his wings to elevate himself up to my eye level as we hugged and he used his position to whisper into my ear.

“You’re a naughty boy for trying to peer into my thoughts without permission. If you want to see what’s inside my head, you’ll have to take me out on a date and buy me wine first.” His tone caused goosebumps to crawl across my skin and raised confusing thoughts in my mind.

‘Is he flirting with me? Shouldn’t he be angry that I tried to listen to his personal thoughts? How did he even block my mind reading-attempt in the first place? Well… I am flattered that he finds me physically appealing, but I’ve always felt more infatuated with the fairer sex. There is also the fact that he was a GRIFFIN! But… where else am I going to experience the pleasures of lovemaking? The next human woman that wasn’t my fishy sister was universes away. And there was no way in hell I was going to use just my hand as a sexual partner for the rest of my life! Hmmm... goddammit this isn't the time to be thinking about this,' I thought as I broke away from Thistle’s hug. He kissed me swiftly on both cheeks like he did with his sister and gave me a wink as he grinned.

The midnight purple griffin moved on to my sister and was taken by surprise when she initiated the hug first and held him in the air. The two hippogriffs tensed at my sister’s action and seemed ready to pounce her, but relaxed in the blink of an eye once they realized that her intentions weren’t hostile towards the prince.

“Your feathers feel soooo soft!” Katy said happily as she held the prince in her strapping arms. Thistle continued to grin and wrapped his wings around her to reciprocate her embrace.

“I certainly hope so Katy Krieger. I pay top coin to keep every part of my body in pristine condition,” He said as he swiftly kissed both of her cheeks as well.

Katy released him from the hug and Thistle adjusted his suit and vest as soon as his paws touched the floor. He walked over to Vigilant next and repeated his hug and kiss combination again, then held the guard’s hoof in his right talons as he introduced himself again.

“Prince Thistle darling and I’m terribly sorry for not knowing you as well as your companions.”

“Vigilant Star of Canterlot’s Royal Guard division. I am here to oversee Katy’s safety while she visits your islands,” Vigilant answered as he shook the prince’s talons.

“Hmmmm, let’s see here, you are one of Princess Celestia’s Solar Guards of course. The insignia on your chestplate symbolizes you as a sergeant. Your muscle structure is above average for most typical unicorn guards, suggesting a very active life in the field. The faint indent around your horn shows that you’ve married recently, probably for just a couple years. Then there’s… oh, darling, you look a little queasy after getting off that carriage, you’re afraid of flying aren’t you?” Thistle’s observant examination of Katy’s handler caused the poor stallion to blush in embarrassment at the last part. The prince smiled warmly and patted Vigilant’s shoulder before suggesting tea to calm his nerves when they arrived at the café.

“You never told me you were married Vigilant,” Katy stated to Vigilant.

“You never asked,” Vigilant replied.

Thistle walked behind the two hippogriffs after he was done greeting us and raised his right talons in front of him. The sapphire gem embedded into one of his rings began to glow brilliantly and a tall dark portal with traces of blue at its edges appeared before him, catching me and my sister by surprise. With my connection to the Force, I could see the Force\magic flowing freely from Thistle and into his ring, where a sequence of small curious reactions transpired within the core of the gem and produced the portal before our eyes.

“I hope you don’t mind darlings, but that elevator will be awfully cramped if we all used it together. This will take us directly to my hotel’s café. I assure you that it is perfectly safe if you decide to follow me,” Thistle said as he walked through the dark portal along with the two hippogriffs.

Katy, jumping like a bunny, eagerly ran through the portal after Thistle with Vigilant right behind her. I looked down at Falca smiling as we both prepared to enter the portal to follow, until… I suddenly saw her back at the blizzard from my dream.

……

Cold dead eyes stared out at nothing as the owner laid upon the pure snow. A gaping burning hole blemished the feathers around her chest while another hole appeared perfectly parallel to it on her back. Snow from the blizzard slowly starts to blanket her body, her grave already forming around her. Clutched in her right talons is a lightsaber.

My lightsaber.

……

The vision is broken once Falca’s voice registers in my mind. “Jack are you alright?”

Falca was looking up at me worried, and I shook my head as I checked my surroundings. The griffin servants lining the carpet continued to look professional while the portal that Thistle created awaited us. My hand went to my lightsaber to make sure it was still attached to my hip and I felt at ease in holding the familiar hilt. I could feel the concern and anxious aura Falca emitted even without the Force.

‘Why the hell am I seeing past Force visions in the middle of the day? Was the Force trying to tell me something? I need to speak up, Falca’s looking at me as if I’ve lost it.’

“I-I’m fine Falca, was just lost in thought about something. Nothing to worry about,” I said speaking quickly.

She continued to press on the matter. “Jack if something’s wrong you can tell me.” She placed her right talons on my thigh. The talons that held my lightsaber in the vision.

I panicky brushed her talons off, but quickly tried to apologize when I realized how rude my actions were.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just… it’s hard to explain.”

“That’s fine, you don’t have to tell me now.” Falca smiled up at me as she spoke. Her smile made me smile. “Maybe some food will help you. I don’t know about you, but I’m as hungry as a dragon hungry for diamonds.”

“Yeah I think you’re right, food could do me some good right now.”

Before we made our way towards Thistle’s portal, Falca raised a talon to ask me a question real quick. “By the way, what did Thistle whisper in your ear? If you don’t mind me asking.” I chuckled at the question and hoped my red skin would conceal my blush.

“He said something about a date and buying him wine. Does he normally flirt with total strangers during the first meeting?” I asked intentionally leaving out the mind-reading part.

Falca rolled her eyes in annoyance. “More times than I can count. And trust me, he’s into your sister too no doubt. He adores the exotic, and you and your sister as exotic as it can get. Do you want me to tell him to back off?”

“No I don’t mind really, and if I know my sister, I’m pretty sure she’ll enjoy the attention. I’m actually kinda flattered in fact.” I never considered that I may be physically attractive to someone of another species.

“Well just a little warning though first. If he flirts with you, it means he just wants to get you into bed with him. But if he flirts and talks about his businesses, it means he sees a great opportunity for financial gain from you. Flirting and sex are tactics he loves to employ so he can get people to do what he wants. It gets very annoying sometimes and he almost caused a diplomatic incident one time when he flirted with a Taurus Dominion duchess in front her husband just so he could gain some intel on the possible demand for more gemstones in the Dominion market’s future.”

My voice got a little quieter as I spoke. “How cautious should I be? I mean, will he try to take advantage of me or something?”

“I doubt you need to be too cautious with him,” Falca said shrugging her shoulders. “He hates making enemies, and if he gains something from you he’ll try hard to make sure you gain something from him as well. It’s just good business to make sure all parties are happy. However, he’s not above being ruthless to get what he wants, but don’t count on him being that way with you. He wouldn’t have flirted with you otherwise.”

We started to walk towards the portal before she told me one last thing. “Also, be very careful of his two favorite pets, the Twin Serpents. They are overprotective of my brother and are dangerous… very dangerous.”

……

As soon as I stepped through the portal I expected to be overcome with some abnormal sensation or feeling like I did when I fell into the void when I first came to this world. A sensation of falling like last time perhaps, or maybe some sort of tingling feeling at the very least. None of those predictions actually came to pass as in one moment, Falca and I were on the hotel’s roof, and at the next moment we were in front of a wide lavish entrance with the words ‘The Deep’s Reprieve’ embedded into a jade stone sign above it.

A crowd composed of griffins and a myriad of other species surrounded us and the entrance as hundreds of nearly blinding flashes emitted from among their number. Using a hand to try and block the flashes of light, I realized that the lights emitting from the crowd were the flashes of cameras as they took pictures of me and my associates as we exited the portal.

I looked around to see that Thistle and my sister were standing side-by-side smiling for the cameras with the occasional wave of their hands or talons to say hello. Thistle noticed our entrance and beckoned us over to him and my sister as he spoke at a higher volume over the clicks of the cameras. “Falca, Jack! Please come join us, the good media wishes to record this moment for tomorrow’s papers. All of the Isles and beyond will hear of how the two visitors from beyond our world came to enjoy their time together on the Island of Gaiety.” With a wave of his talons the portal, and our only escape route from this crowd, disappeared along with the bright glow that emitted from the sapphire that sat in one of his rings.

After being caught completely off-guard by this photo ambush and having no clear idea on how to proceed, I decided to adhere to Thistle’s request. Thistle got on his hind legs between me and my sister and wrapped a foreleg around both my waist and Katy’s, hugging us to his sides. Trying to look less awkward than I felt, I smiled and waved to the crowd while hoping I didn’t go blind from the constant flashes of lights. In my mind, I realized that Thistle must have planned this photoshoot before we arrived on the island. There was no way a crowd of reporters this huge could have amassed without someone warning them of our arrival. I wasn’t too terribly upset with Thistle for not warning us, if people wanted pictures of me and my sister then I saw no reason to deny them that. Instead, I was more interested in what Thistle had to gain from all of this. Publicity maybe?

As the flashes died down a little Thistle released me and my sister from his grasp to address the crowd.

“I know that you all must have hundreds of questions darlings, but our guests require nourishment after their trip from Equestria. Only three questions will be enquired this evening. Esteemed guests,” Thistle turned his head to me and my sister as dozens of talons, hands, and paws were raised to the air, “You may choose whoever suits you.”

Katy picked someone before me as I was too busy scanning the crowd’s thoughts for easy to answer questions. The griffin Katy pointed to was a bit tall compared to his associates and wore a suit and tie as he wrote something down onto his pad with a pencil in his talons. He had a tag on his suit that identified him as a reporter for the newspaper called ‘Shattering News’.

“Undyne, otherwise known as The Dread Fish, why is it that you are here in the Shattered Isles when you should still be serving out your sentence in Equestria?”

I was a little irked by the title he called my sister, but Katy answered the griffin’s question without even batting an eyelash.

“Princess Celestia herself gave me a temporary pardon so that I may catch up with my brother. I was told that this island was quite a vacation spot and thought that this was a perfect chance to see my brother’s new home while having fun at the same time.” Katy patted my shoulder and silently suggested that it was my turn to answer a question.

I continued to scan the thoughts of the crowd as their talons, paws, and hooves rose up in the air again. They all had dozens of questions swirling about in their heads and almost each one of them was begging for an opportunity to obtain an interview with me and my sister. A peculiar minotaur with a bowler hat that was too small for his head had a question designated to me that I thought was easy enough to answer as I focused in on his thoughts. I pointed a finger at him to single him out from the crowd and he lowered his hand with a smile.

“My lord, you are a visitor to our world and have taken upon yourself a mantle for the griffin people that hasn’t been carried in centuries. The minotaurs of the Taurus Dominion have already read about your battle against the Aper Major and applaud your rescue of Princess Falca. But many of my people wish for an opportunity to see alien life in person, is there any possibility that you or your sister may take a tour of the Dominion in the foreseeable future.”

I glanced in my sister’s direction to see her shaking her head eagerly at the prospect of exploring even more of the MLP world, and I agreed with her wholeheartedly. “While I can’t give a specific time, rest assured that my sister and I deeply desire to explore this world in its entirety. The Taurus Dominion and its people are most certainly something we wish to meet and see.” The minotaur continued to smile after my answer and wrote down what I said onto his notepad.

There was only one question left to go as the reporters raised their limbs again in the hopes that we would choose one of them. I glanced at my sister again and I saw her gesturing to a female griffin and I shrugged my shoulders at her suggestion, telling her to go ahead.

The reporter thanked us and brought her notepad up to her beak as another reporter beside her took another picture of us. “Lord Wrath, many griffins of the Shattered Isles are relieved in the knowledge that we have a Warden again to safeguard our lands along with the Royal Navy. However, while star beasts like the Aper Major are tremendous foes, entities like Discord the Spirit of Chaos are an entirely different matter. Mere months before your arrival, Discord ravaged the lands of Equestria with his magic and nothing but the Elements of Harmony were able to subdue him. If there should come a time where even the Elements are not enough to deal with a threat stronger than Discord, the griffins of the Shattered Isles wish to know if you are capable of protecting us from such a threat.”

Oh boy, that was a loaded question. Could I actually stand a chance against someone like Discord? A being who can just snap his fingers and have reality rework itself to appease his mood. But then again the show has shown many a time the faults and weaknesses of his character. Tirek at the end of season 4 showed that he can be overpowered with raw magical might, and his overconfidence in his own power has left him vulnerable again and again. Katy and I only got as far as the end of season 6 before we were taken from our home, and who knows what else the writers may have presented about Discord after we left.

The Empire’s Wrath was a very powerful Force user but often used his power in very conventional ways akin to most Force users. His skill with telekinesis could surpass those more powerful than him and his understanding of Force sense allowed him to survive many assassination attempts. The Wrath was also a skilled interrogator and could coerce his prisoners to divulge almost anything with his expertise in interrogation, Force mind tricks, and torture. However, he lacked mastery over many Force abilities that were common in the Old Republic era, such as the multitude of abilities offered by Sith Sorcery and Alchemy, and even the imposing power of Sith lightning was beyond his skill. Instead, his greatest strength has always been in his mastery over the lightsaber, which could outclass even the oldest of Jedi masters and Dark Council members. In battle, it was the Wrath’s lightsaber that saw him through most of his conflicts.

So the real question is this, is my skill with a lightsaber enough if I had to do battle with Discord? In all honesty, no, I don’t think my lightsaber enough. Its likely Discord would consider me as an annoying child fancily waving around a glowing stick, rather than as a dark lord who has the experiences of countless battles contained within his neural implant. Discord is a being whose chaotic magic allows him to easily dismiss attacks that would affect most mortals. Simply cutting his head off with the superheated plasma of a lightsaber is not enough if he can just pop his head back into place like a cartoon character. Conventional weapons will not work on an unconventional creature.

But he can be made mortal, however. That parasite Tirek drained the Spirit of Chaos of all his power once the centaur had stolen enough magic for himself. Draining and cutting off the Force from other lifeforms was an uncommon technique among most Force users but it was widely feared by Jedi and even the Sith who practiced it. Slaves to powerful Sith Sorcerers in the days of the Old Republic were used as sacrifices to fuel their rituals with the Force. Even Sith Lords were drained of their power if they were successfully betrayed by their fellow Sith. The 2 most notable users of this draining technique were a creature that called itself Darth Nihilus the Lord of Hunger and the Sith Emperor, later known as Valkorion. The major difference between the two was that Valkorion learned how to drain the Force from entire worlds without having to subject himself to the horrid appetite Darth Nihilus had to appease in order to exist. Knowledge of how to use this technique to its fullest potential resides within my token, but of course, it is denied to me at this time. For now, I don’t have a way to deal with someone like Discord on my own but that will be rectified once I access Valkorion’s trove of knowledge.

What was promised to me will be mine eventually.

But in reality, Discord won’t be a threat for much longer once he and Fluttershy meet. Griffins and beings from around the world won’t have to worry in fear of Discord’s return to power when he discovers the magic of friendship. The world will actually have to worry about living in harmony with chaos incarnate. Instead, I’m more worried about villains I had yet to see in the show. Who knows how powerful the villains past season 6 could be.

“Sorry but the history of your world is still new to me.” I lied in order to lift the long silence I created in order to contemplate the reporter’s question. “However I think I know of the entity you speak of. While I can’t say without a doubt that I can defeat this Discord, I can say that he and those like him would do well to not underestimate me. Since coming to your world I have started to learn more and more of what I’m capable of. Consider this, if I am able to defeat a beast like the Aper Major just when I was starting to learn my powers, then imagine how powerful I might be when I’ve mastered them. And now that I have been reunited with my sister we will be unstoppable together.”

I may not have given a definite yes or no answer, but the reporter seemed satisfied nonetheless. I only hope my words are enough to put the minds of the Shattered Isles at ease. King Grinnail told me that at times like these people need to know that there are individuals like me protecting them from threats they cannot fight. Forces of nature like Discord were definitely foes they had every right to fear.

“Well that’s all for now darlings, I hope you all got enough material for tomorrow. Our guests are famished so if you’ll please…” Thistle said as he led our group through the parting crowd of reporters.

As we were walking towards the café entrance, one young griffin from the crowd kept clamoring for our attention but Thistle told us to ignore him. The griffin got frustrated by both the departing crowd blocking his way and his inability to gain our attention so he decided to get bold and flew above the crowd to rush towards us. I respected the griffin’s drive, but it was insanely foolish trying to rush towards two members of royalty and their guests without expressed permission. The griffin could be confused as an assassin and could end up arrested or worse, so I sighed and brought my hand up to grasp the griffin in my telekinesis. However, the hippogriffs at Thistle’s side were already upon the griffin before I could even raise my hand.

If I blinked I may have missed it. First, the hippogriffs moved in perfect harmony to one-another and flew to intercept the griffin at each of his flanks. Second, they grabbed both his forearms and violently stretched them outwards, causing him to lose balance in the air and squawk in alarm. Lastly, they each grabbed a wing with their free talons and drove the griffin harshly to the ground with a loud thump. In barely over a second, the hippogriffs had the foolish reporter prostrated on the ground before us in a rather humiliating position with his hind legs kicking at the ground trying to free himself. He grunted in exertion as he tried to move, but a subtle pull on both his wings by the hippogriffs ended any thoughts of rebellion and he resigned himself to his position.

I had to admit that I was impressed by how skillfully the hippogriff twins handled the situation.

Thistle sighed at the scene the reporter caused as more camera flashes spawned from the crowd and he threw Katy and me an apologetic smile as he moved to deal with him. Thistle stood before the reporter and casually inspected the rings on his talons as he had the reporter remain in his position for a few more seconds. After waiting long enough to make sure the reporter felt more uncomfortable than he already was, Thistle clicked his talons to signal the two hippogriffs twins. The Twins hosted the reporter up without easing their grips on his appendages and the reporter kept looking between the prince in front of him and my sister and me.

Thistle inspected the reporter’s media badge clipped to a feather on his chest before he spoke with a smile. “Now I know the paper from the colonies is as eager as every other news press to get more info on our guests but you’ll have to save your questions for next time like everygriffin else.”

The young reporter shifted a little to try to find some comfort in the hold the Twins had him in but could find no success. Thistle made a gesture with his talons to the hippogriffs and they started to drag him away to kick him out of the hotel.

The reporter struggled violently but the hold the Twins had him in held firm. So he gazed beyond the prince and looked directly at me and Katy as he spoke out in a pleading voice. “But people want to know your response to the claims made by the Followers of the Djinn! Please! Griffins have expressed concern about whether-”

“Get him out now!” Thistle said in a slightly raised voice, his smile gone. The Twins immediately launched off with their hind hoofs and flew through the air and past the crowd to a set of entrances where guests came in and out. They shouldered through the door and were about to throw the reporter out but I glimpsed into his mind at the last moment to appease my curiosity. I wanted to know what these Followers of the Djinn were, and why the reporter was so passionate about all of this.

Images of Katy and I were at the center of his thoughts and I sensed respect and awe when his thoughts focused on me. Then that image was distorted when I saw a memory of the reporter looking down and writing into a notebook while listening to a voice speaking passionately about something. The memory then focused onto a…zebra?...yes it was indeed a zebra, who was clad in a robe and hood with the symbol of a bottle filled with a spectral gas stitched onto the center of his hood. The zebra stood on a soapbox and was preaching to a crowd of griffins in an unfamiliar town.

“Like dung that flows into sewers, the worst scum now flows into our world! Creatures foretold by the Djinn, who would pierce the skies in the corona of purple flame now come unto our world at last. Take heed good griffins, these aliens are not here in peace and most certainly did not come by some absurd accident! They come to release destruction upon us all and we must crush this threat before they grow too powerful for us all!” The zebra continued to preach as the memory shifted back to the writing of a notebook.

The respect the reporter had for me was now seeded with doubt, and the awe was now replaced with questions.

The hotel’s entrance door closed as I cut myself off from the reporter’s mind and I am left with questions myself. The Twins flew back to Thistle’s side and the prince turned back to me and my sister. “My deepest apologies for that little display, shall we carry on darlings?”

“Thistle, what was that reporter talking about?” Falca said in a serious tone.

“Not here, later please.” Thistle said in a hushed tone so only we could hear him.

Thistle shepherded us towards the café and a griffin hostess at the entrance led us to our table. The Deep’s Reprieve had a sort of aquatic environment setting and the décor was fascinating to witness for the first time. The lighting was created by glowing gemstones similar to the ones I saw at the castle and they emitted a dimmed blue light that gave the cafe an underwater atmosphere. This underwater atmosphere was enriched by the scent of seawater mixed in with the pleasing aroma of various cooked foods. The tables looked as if they were carved from coral and the seats that held dozens of patrons were made of carved wood that gave off an illusion that they were warped by water for years. Jazz music, my favorite genre, was played by a band on a triangle stage set in the corner of the room and the music they created felt smooth to my ears.

But the most stunning attraction of all was at the center of the café where a massive sphere of water nearly touched the ceiling as it sat on a small pedestal. No visible barrier kept the water in its spherical shape and I used my connection to the Force to see that it was an invisible telekinetic field that was responsible. Bright light was focused onto the sphere by hidden gemstones set into groups of four on both the ceiling and the floor, and they highlighted the fish that floated within. Danio’s, guppies, cory catfish, mollies, etc. swam around the sphere and cast themselves as larger than life shadows on the floor and the ceiling. Adorable little griffin cubs, pony foals, and minotaur calves sat around the spherical aquarium after their meals with their families and sat in awe of the multiple shadows cast by the fish.

The hostess took us towards a large booth near the back with a clear view of every corner of the café and we were starting to get looks from the patrons. Curious eyes and gossiping mouths followed our every step as we moved towards our destination and I noticed that Katy was drinking this all up. The attention given to her was well received and she answered the patrons with briefly enthusiastic waves of hello and a happy grin. I was content with just having Katy responding to the crowd’s attention, but she elbowed me to get me to respond with her. I put on a gentle smile and I waved to a random table filled with griffin females who giggled happily and waved back to me. I heard a small grumble coming from Falca’s direction.

We arrived at our booth at last and we placed in our drink orders to the hostess herself when she said she will be serving us this evening. I sat in the middle between Katy and Falca while Vigilant Star sat at the end of our booth. Thistle sat between the Twin Serpents and had a forearm draped over each of the black and green feathered hippogriffs. The double scimitars each of the Twins held were placed at their sides in the booth and their talons were always at least a few centimeters away from the scabbards that held their blades. The hostess left us our menus and was off to get us our drinks as Thistle spoke up again.

“Dreadfully sorry about not telling you about the media parade darlings. I hope it wasn’t too dreadful an ordeal to go through.” I honestly couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not. I wish I could listen to his thoughts.

“It was… unexpected, but I suppose me and Katy should be getting used to this. I expect there will be dozens of media parades like this in our future after all. But I have to ask, why did you set all that up?” I had a hypothesis forming in my head but I wanted some confirmation.

“If you’ve had to live with him for as long as I have, the answer is always the same,” Falca said as she browsed her menu.

“Then do tell us, little sister. Why was I such a naughty cub this evening?” Thistle said in a haughty tone with a grin.

Falca sighed in annoyance before she placed her menu down and explained away. “It’s because it’ll likely bring in more tourists to the island once news reaches the world that the aliens are spending their vacation here. More tourists will likely come and that means more profits for the Island’s businesses, and therefore more profits for him. Thistle has his talons in almost every entertainment business here on the island and directly owns the most major ones himself. It’s also why you two only had to answer just three questions out there. Thistle only wanted a picture of you two and wanted the papers to primarily focus on the fact that you two were here.”

“Right on the beak Falca,” Thistle said as he tapped his beak with a pedicured talon.

“But please darlings, don’t think that I’ll allow more little distractions like that to get in the way of my duty to you two. I still plan to show you all the splendors of the Island of Gaiety.” He said as he splayed his wings out behind him and cloaked the Twins in their shadow. “After all, who could be better suited to give you a tour than the griffin who owns the island?”

“I hope your time away from court hasn’t made you forget that the Island of Gaiety is our House’s island dearest brother?” Falca said as she brought her menu back up to her face.

“Oh silly me, of course, Falca, of course.”

Our drinks arrived and Thistle told us not to worry about paying considering he owned both the café and the hotel as well. Katy and I took advantage of his hospitality and ordered one of everything to start us off since we haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. Falca ordered a simple salad suited to a griffin’s diet, and I listened to her thoughts to find out that she didn’t want to indulge herself in front of her subjects. Her brother didn’t hold back at all and followed our example by ordering one of everything as well for him and the Twins.

“Now then,” I said as the hostess left again. “Do you know what that reporter was talking about? Who are these Followers of the Djinn? Why was that reporter so determined to get an answer from us?” I asked as the images I plucked from the reporter’s head took precedence in my mind.

“Ah yes, them…” Thistle’s expression turned dark at the mention of the Followers. “All I have is word of beak so far. Rumors from griffins off at the colonies who visit the Shattered Isles and spread what the Follower’s preach. I’m sure father already has a more detailed report on them from his agents but I bet my information is just as good. Apparently, there is a group of zebras that call themselves the Followers of the Djinn and they are preaching to anyone they can find that you two will be the death of our world.”

Thistle rolled his eyes as he continued. “Unlike most of their kin who practice voodoo to connect with spirits, the Followers worship the djinn and seek to learn and become like them. These djinn apparently made some sort of prophecy long ago that creatures will fill the skies with purple flames and bring about the end of life as we know it. One will be a creature that came from beyond the stars and the other from the underground.”

Katy and I looked at each other in quiet alarm before I asked Thistle another question.

“What are these djinn exactly?”

“Well, they are far more renowned than their worshippers, although they are more commonly accepted as myths even among most zebras. In primitive times when griffins, ponies, and most races were just starting to learn how to make a fire pit, a few zebra tribes claimed to have come into contact with powerful spirits who called themselves the djinn. The djinn told the tribes that they were powerful condensations of an element they embody and are endowed with the conciseness and character to control their element. Elements of air, water, fire, gravity, time, literally anything that is considered a universal law of existence. They told the zebras that they’ve existed since the world was just beginning to take shape and that they’ve been the masters of the world before we were all nothing but motes of biological filth just barely able to survive the world’s harshness.”

“When biological life started to form conciseness, they decided to observe our evolution and considered us as interesting distractions. Eventually, a few djinn decided to make contact with their new neighbors and wanted to see if they could teach them to manipulate matter and magic like they could. According to this legend, this is how the science of alchemy was introduced to the world, and how zebras discovered it first before any other race.”

“What happened to the djinn then?” Katy asked.

“You see, this is why they are considered a legend. There is not a single shred of evidence other than the tales told by zebra wisemares. Some of the legends explain their disappearance by saying that the djinn left our plane of existence by departing to a pocket dimension of their own creation. This dimension barely has any magic however, so they occasionally return to our plane just to ‘recharge’.” Thistle said making air quotes with his talons over the shoulders of the Twins. “Some zebra wisemares theorize that they left our plane in order to generously make room for biological life’s growth, although every theory is all really speculation.

……

Time was at a standstill and I sighed in annoyance for what it could mean. My fears came true when Valkorion walked up to our table from the shadows and it took everything I had to not stand up and shout at him to leave me in peace. However, I knew that would be fruitless.

“Ancient and powerful entities who dominated this world simply left their territory to accommodate lesser beings? What nonsense,” Valkorion said with a mirthless smile as he stared down at Thistle.

“You don’t know what these Djinn were like any more than I do. It is more than possible that they viewed the world in a way entirely different from us. Who knows why they left, even if they did exist,” I said looking up at the dead emperor.

Valkorion turned his smile towards me and I despised that superior look in his eyes.

“I have lived for generations upon generations. I have seen stars collapse and form into black holes that devoured the light from other stars. I’ve gazed upon the very heart of the Force and have truly witnessed the entirety of what a galaxy can offer. I have studied life both corporeal and non-corporeal, and in all of my experiences, I never once saw a superior form of life willingly surrender its home to a lesser one.”

“So why do you think they left then? Since, you seem to be so knowledgeable of the way things are,” I asked with a little venom.

Valkorion’s annoying superior expression was replaced with a serious one, and I had to admit it unsettled me a little.

“They were afraid of something.”

……

Time flowed normally again as my connection to Valkorion was cut and Thistle was finishing his explanation of the Djinn.

“There are about a dozen other legends of djinn visiting our world. Some tell of how they work as sagacious teachers to a few gifted individuals. While other legends tell of how a few djinn came to be trapped by powerful sorcerers and granted wishes so they could return to their pocket dimension. One legend I remember quite fondly was how centuries ago a unicorn mare captured a djinn into a lamp and greedily wished for knowledge, the djinn obliged her by conjuring a children’s book.” Thistle chuckled to himself as he recalled the legend. “If you can believe it, there are actually some who theorize that Discord himself is just rouge djinn.”

“But whatever the case may be,” the prince continued. “These myths departed from our world in mass and left behind a prophecy that has the Followers startled and spreading hate now. Hate specifically targeted at you two darlings.” He stared down at the table in thought for a moment. “And they are being very smart about it too. Instead of preaching here on the Isles, the heart of our kingdom where your heroic princess saving popularity could crush any hateful cynic’s words. They preach and seed fear in the farthest reaches of our kingdom and have their venomous words work its way subtly to the heart.”

“How come I’m only hearing about this just now?” Falca demanded as she drained half of her glass of water.

“Well I’ve only just recently learned of them yesterday myself while you and father were on your trip to Equestria,” Thistle said answering his sister. “I can’t say exactly when they started to preach their nonsense, but it must have started a few days after Katy made the headlines from her stroll through Canterlot. Then they started to work in earnest when Jack was announced throughout our kingdom. I can’t be sure if they’re doing the same in Equestria but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. They’re likely to gain a lot of attention among the Equestrians since not many ponies besides their overseas entrepreneurs have actually seen a zebra in real life.”

Thistle’s almost ever-present smile turned smug as he regarded his sister for a moment.

“My, my, my, and here I thought that my sister with the cute little spy network would know these things way before I ever did. Does your network only reach as far as the farming bumpkins and rich wine guzzling drunkards of the Summer Island? If so, you really need to expand further if you want to come even remotely close to the level information our House’s Watchers can obtain.”

Falca matched her brother’s smile with a smile of her own, and I could sense a silent huff of annoyance emitting from her thoughts. She finished her glass of water with one last swig before she spoke again.

“Trust me, Thistle, it won’t stay small for long.”

New questions were formed as the conversation got off track from the Followers. Who are these Watchers of Falca’s House? Also, Falca has a spy network? I was tempted to take the conversation topic off track to learn more on this but my interest still rested primarily on the Followers of Djinn who seemed to be trying to make enemies of me and my sister. I don’t need the Force to foresee that these zebras could become a problem and I wanted to research more on this supposed prophecy these mythical djinn made so long ago.

“So should we do anything about these Followers of the Djinn?” Katy asked bringing the conversation back to its original focus. “Shouldn’t we release some kind of statement that says that Jack and I obviously do not seek to ‘bring about the end of life’ in order to put some minds at ease at the very least?”

“Oh we most certainly could darling,” Thistle answered. “But do you think a nice simple statement would be enough?”

“Then what do you recommend that we do?” I asked, curious to see what he had in mind.

The prince took a moment before responding as if to give himself time to properly word what he would say next. He motioned a talon to direct our attention to the rest of the café, and as I gazed upon the dozens of customers I suddenly became very self-conscious of how much attention we were attracting. Everyone in the room was completely fascinated with everything Katy and I did. Young children to the elderly sat at the very edge of their seats trying to get a better view of us, completely forgetting the pleasant smelling food set right in front of them. Sever staff navigating around the tables to serve their customers took extra-long routes just so they could pass by our table and take a closer look.

I listened to their thoughts individually out of curiosity.

‘He’s so tall and red. I wonder if aliens like comic books. I should ask mommy.’

‘Just wait till I get back to the cubs back home. I’ll be able to tell them that I sat a table away from the aliens and Hiallan royalty!’

‘By the ancestors her teeth look like they could chomp right through bone. And those pretty blue scales, I wonder if they feel smooth or slimy.’

‘My husband and I should go up and ask for a picture with them after they’re done eating. This is a chance of a lifetime!’

‘I hope my wife doesn’t ask us to go up and take a picture with them. That’d be so embarrassing.’

‘Where’s that awesome sword he showed off at the announcement. That thing was so freaking COOL!’

‘I wonder if either of them are single.’

“Whether you like it or not,” Thistle said bringing our attention back towards him. “You two are in the entire world’s spotlight. They all wait and wish to see what you’ll do next. So a simple statement would be a waste of a grand opportunity. Words are nice and fine, but your enemies can manipulate anything you say and turn them against you. Your actions on the other talon could eclipse any naysayer’s gibberish and will clearly display what you two want the world to see you as. With my connections, I can ensure that any action you take will be presented exactly as you want them to be.” He brought his talons away from the hippogriffs and laid his talons on the table, digits extended outwards, in a gesture I interpreted that he was trying to offer us something.

I suddenly became very mindful of Falca’s warning from earlier.

“Jack, you are already a hero to most griffins in our kingdom since you saved Falca and took up a mantle that hasn’t been held in centuries. But they know so little about you and have yet to see you in battle. We griffins, I admit, highly value strength and one’s superiority in combat. Next to money, nothing gets the average griffin to love you more when they see your prowess in the heat of a battle. You saw the vast Titan Arena as you flew in yes?
Is it any wonder why it dominates the center of this island considering our lust for conflict? If you are as strong as the populous has been led to believe, then a martial display witnessed by thousands will have you idolized by millions.”

I think I see what he’s trying to do here. I remembered when he claimed to be some sort of Keeper for the Titan Arena when he introduced himself. I wasn’t entirely sure what his honorific entails but he obviously has influence over the arena’s dealings. He’s suggesting that I fight in the Titan Arena.

Anticipation flooded my mind at the thought of fighting on a warrior’s most glorious stage. Ever since Boreus told me about the Isle of Gaiety and how it was home to such an arena, I’ve wanted to see it. Arenas and coliseums were a bit of a fascination to me since I saw them so often in video games and studied them in human history. They were the crucible for numerous warriors which lead to the creation of champions who would be showered with glory and a chance at immortality in history, like modern-day boxers and mix martial arts fighters. Or they were the pits for dregs who were forced to appease their bloodthirsty spectators. Above all though, I saw this as a prime opportunity to test what I’ve learned from days of training with the Sith and Jedi holocrons.

“And you, a Keeper of the Titan Arena, would be able to facilitate that martial display for me?” I asked leaning forward.

The prince leaned forward as well, his smile broad and infectious. “Oh, most definitely darling. But the question is if you would be willing to partake in such a… barbarous practice. Most members of other races find fighting for the entertainment of others quite distasteful. However, most people in these peaceful times aren’t warriors. Are you a warrior Jack Krieger?”

I matched my smile with his. “I only became a warrior just recently. But I have to admit, I’m already infatuated with the craft.”

“That’s good to hear.” Thistle leaned back into the nestled embrace between the two hippogriffs before turning his gaze to Katy. “And for you Katy, I might not have as much influence over Equestria like I do here in the Shattered Isles, but I can still pull a few strings. If we want to curtail any Follower rhetoric in Equestria then you need to improve your reputation among the ponies. Money goes a long way in making people forget grudges and a couple donations, in your name, to the right nobles in Canterlot will be an excellent first step.”

‘An excellent suggestion Thistle,’ I thought as I pondered the offer the prince made to my sister. ‘Sadly though, Katy prefers an…’

“Thanks, but no thanks your highness. I’m sure I can win over the ponies just fine on my own. If I’m going to earn respect and acceptance from others then it will be through my own merits and actions, not from the bribes of associates.” Katy said as she finished her glass of water and motioned for a waitress to get her a refill.

‘…Independent approach to her personal problems,’ finishing my thought.

Katy is kind of like Applejack when it comes to handling personal problems. She knew it was alright to accept help from others, but those calls for help always came when she is at her most desperate. Often times those desperate moments could have been prevented if she had accepted an offer of help from earlier. But if she thinks she can solve a personal problem by herself then she’ll do it by herself no matter what. In a team, she could be the best team player the world has ever seen, but woe be it for the team if they wanted to help her with her personal problems.

‘This is a prime opportunity to cut off a potential problem should it be allowed to fester. Katy is already a convicted criminal in Equestria and her reputation will only worsen if these Followers spread wicked rumors about her. While I wanted nothing more than to crush the windpipes of every Canterlot noble piss ant that tried to collar my sister, I knew that would only cause more problems than solving them. A criminal reimbursing a city she’s wronged will send a benign message to the ponies of Equestria. Fortunately, I know how to manipulate my sister.’

A waitress came over and refilled Katy’s glass and I placed a red clawed hand on her shoulder as she took another drink. Now having her attention I tried to convince her to accept Thistle’s offer, while also conceiving a new offer for Thistle as well.

“Katy I know you don’t like having others help you with your problems but you don’t have to take Thistle’s money as a gift. Instead, you could work to earn Thistle’s money if you wanted to.” I looked over at Thistle to see that he was very interested in where I was taking this. “I’m assuming there are rewards for fighting in the Titan Arena, rewards like… prizemoney for instance?”

“Ohhh darling, prizemoney and so much more,” Thistle said with a purr.

Katy was looking down at the table and I didn’t need to read her thoughts to know that she was seriously considering my words.

“You will be the one that earns that money and it will be you who uses it to reimburse the damages you caused in Canterlot. Also, I have to admit it would be pretty awesome to see your powers in an actual fight. What do you say, Katy, wanna be a gladiator?” My last sentence caused her to grin.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on.” Vigilant Star interrupted as sat his tea down. “I thought you two wanted to come to the Island of Gaiety to relax and enjoy some time together. Why would you want to go and immediately start fighting?”

Katy showed off more of her dagger-like teeth before she chugged all of the contents of her glass and slammed it onto the table. She answered Vigilant’s question while also confirming that my argument had succeeded.

“Sometimes Vigilant, there’s nothing more relaxing than punching someone in the face.”

……

Our food finally arrived and our conversation was cut short for a moment as everyone focused on their dinner plates. Katy, having tasted nothing but fish for her protein needs, feverishly dug into a T-bone steak made of some sort of domesticated livestock animal Falca called korion. I took care to follow my newfound diet and ate what was only enough to satisfy a sith pureblood’s dietary needs. Which thankfully required a hefty portion of the various foods we ordered. Vigilant had a simple salad and tried to avoid watching us omnivores dig into the meat of several different animals.

As I was eating I began to notice that the hippogriffs clinging next Thistle had yet to speak a single word since we met. I now felt embarrassed that I had yet to introduce myself properly to them. As I was busy conceiving of a way to introduce ourselves, Katy, out of the blue, spoke up about the issue before I could.

“You two don’t talk much do you?” She asked while pointing a fork in their direction.

Not the way I would have worded it but at least a conversation has been started at the very least. The two hippogriffs remained silent but Thistle tried to keep himself from laughing while he swallowed a piece of his grilled shrimp. After he got a hold of himself he answered Katy’s question for the hippogriffs.

“Yes darlings, my two little serpents hardly talk much at all actually. You must forgive them but they only talk to others unless it is absolutely necessary. They’ll only talk freely to each other alone or with someone that they trust. Although sometimes if I ask them really nicely,” he began to trace a talon across each of their dark green and black feathered chests, “They’ll say a few words for me.”

“So are they you’re… bodyguards or something?” Katy asked.

“For the most part, although they’ll do the occasional assignment for me and House Hialla.”

“What kind of assignments?”

Thistle hummed to himself as if he was pondering how to properly word his response. “Assignments that require the removal of certain people who would seek to commit evil actions instead of virtuous ones.”

“They’re his pet assassins,” Falca stated openly as if merciless killers were but an ordinary occupation.

“And I thought Takada was the blunt one,” Thistle said under his breath but just loud enough for Falca to hear.

Falca ignored Thistle’s comment. “The Twin Serpents were hired to assassinate Thistle and would have succeeded had it not been for those enchanted rings on his talons. Thistle barely managed to fight them off and was successfully able to capture them. Had father had his way with them, they would have been another pair of blocks on the line for their crimes.”

‘Another pair of blocks on the line? Does she mean imprisoned or executed?’ I thought as I pondered the curious choice of words.

Falca rolled her eyes as she continued. “But my brother, in his infinite wisdom, wanted to keep them as his little pets for his lechery and dirty work.”

“Oh come now Falca, must you use such harsh words? I assure you darlings that there is much more to it than that. They may have tried to put an end to my marvelous existence, but I saw a potential opportunity from them that I couldn’t ignore. With a little digging from father’s Watchers, I found out who hired my little serpents and the organization they worked under. A cross-species cutthroat organization called Helix was hired to kill me by a duke of the Taurus Dominion. Apparently, he took offense to me for merely making his duchess feel special and took things way out of proportion by trying to kill me. After I learned of the duke's plot it would have been a simple matter of accusations, a trial, and the gallows. But instead, I took the opportunity for what it was and used it to leash the duke to the desires of House Hialla. With the threat that I could shame him before his government for his little scheme of petty revenge, the duke was more than willing to help House Hialla in securing a most generous agreement in the export of gemstones to the Dominion.”

“As for Helix, the organization that was arrogant enough to think that they could slay a prince of House Hialla,” Thistle said with a touch of heat in his voice. “I gave my little serpents an offer they couldn’t refuse, and had them ‘dispatch’ every member of their entire organization…”

Thistle replaced his current empty plate with a dish that had a scrumptious looking red crab laid out in its center. “Every. Single. One.” He said cracking a crab leg with his talons after each word was spoken. The hippogriffs merely edged closer to him more affectionately.

‘That was a little… dark. Why do these hippogriffs seem so enamored by him? He had them murder their own comrades, and they don’t even seem phased by a single word he said! Good lord, I can see now why Falca thought them to be dangerous.’

After a long pause, I tried to ask Thistle another question but the unease in my voice betrayed that I was a little unsettled by the prince’s calm admission for having others commit mass murder for him. “Ummm so how did you survive their attempt to kill you? I mean no offense, but you don’t exactly strike me as the fighting type.”

“None taken darling, I like to keep it that way,” Thistle said as he pierced one of the crab legs onto a talon and fed it to the Serpent to his left, where she seductively took his entire talon into her beak and slowly pulled away. Her eyes lidded and portraying a seductive warmth.

“It’s a rather personal tale so forgive me if I don’t go into specific details, but to make a long story short, it was these enchanted little gems that saved my life.” Thistle brought up the four digits of his right talons to display the ornate bands and the gemstones that I sensed hid an impressive wealth of raw magical power. “As you saw on the roof, the ring with the blue sapphire gem allows me to summon portals to any destination I desire and is by far one of my more expensive investments. The pearl gemstone contains a very small pocket dimension which houses my sword for the occasional physical confrontation. The ruby gemstone allows me to spew forth elemental fire like the mighty dragons and acts as an entertaining party trick at most festivities. Then there is cute little pink diamond, which helps me ward off the more telepathically gifted creatures of the world.”

Thistle gave me a wink which made me feel embarrassed for my snooping behavior. I hoped my red skin hid the warmth I felt in my cheeks.

“This ring with the handsome onyx,” Thistle continued as he showed us the rings on his left talons. “Contains another pocket dimension which houses a spectacular gauntlet that is very useful when I am on the defensive in a fight. The amethyst gemstone acts as a magic ward, which is an excellent aegis against hostile spells and can absorb the magic used to create said spells to empower both myself and my magical little trinkets. The lapis lazuli can allow me complete control over harsh elemental ice that can encase my enemies and is useful for when I need ice for a glass of scotch. Lastly well…”

Thistle paused to stare at the last ring, a fine baroque gold band with many tiny arcane symbols that surrounded a gorgeous purple sugilite gemstone. “This last ring is a bit of a secret I’d like to keep to myself.”

I gave Falca a questioning look and she responded with a shrug. “I’m not sure what function that ring provides. I don’t think even my father knows what that ring does either. What I do know is that it had to be the ring he used to fight off the Twins, because I’m sure the other rings don’t the ability to level an entire mansion.

I was surprised and infinitely more curious now. I entertained the idea of probing the minds of the Twins to obtain more information, but I figured that if Thistle kept his own mind protected then he would surely keep his own bodyguards protected as well.

“So with all these magical trinkets, are you a mage like your brother Hyde?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Oh heavens no darling, I don’t have the patience or desire to stick my beak into a book for hours on end to learn even the simplest of magic. Although, I realize that magic has a great many uses and I have had the greatest enchanters create several magical toys to do the spells for me.”

I now found myself wondering if I could have such magical trinkets crafted for myself as well. What new heights of power would I be able to obtain if I could combine the Force of Star Wars with the magic of Equestria? I suddenly felt the need to geek out and pester Thistle on every type of enchantment he could think of, but I tried to hold myself in check. No need to embarrass myself in public and in front of Falca.

“You know you haven’t even told us what their names are yet,” Katy said pointing to the two hippogriffs, bringing up a very good point. “I know you said that they don’t like to talk unless it’s necessary, but surely they can at least give us their names right?”

Thistle smiled and leaned into the Twin on his right to whisper into her ear and that Twin looked deeply into the eyes of the other Twin. It was as if they were holding a conversation between themselves that only they could hear, and I suddenly wondered if hippogriffs were telepaths. I don’t remember seeing hippogriffs in the show before me and my sister were abducted, but who knows how many creatures the MLP writers will create since we left.

They finally broke eye contact with each other and they whispered into Thistle’s ears in unison. Thistle’s smile widened.

“They agree to tell you their names and they’ll even answer one question for you both should you ask. I must admit I’m impressed, think very carefully darlings because it's not often they speak so freely. Unless it’s with me of course.”

The hippogriff with the python cutie mark spoke, her voice soothing and enveloping. “My name is Kaa.”

Then the hippogriff with cobra cutie make spoke as well, her voice surprisingly as smooth as her sister but with an insidious tone. “And I am Xaa.”

Now that they spoke their names they calmly waited for us to ask our question. Katy and I softly debated what we should ask and each one we came up with seemed more significant than the last. Finally, we came to an agreement on the question and Katy left it for me to ask.

“Why do you serve Thistle?”

Kaa was the one to answer.

“We serve him because he is the most beautiful of serpents”

Author's Note

Deeply sorry that this took so long. Life often gets in the way of things, and this chapter went through so many rewrites. Hell, the chapter was nearly 20,000 words long originally but after I read it I realized that it just carried on and on and on.

I guarantee that the next chapter contains some action finally. I feel that the story has gone on too long without some real combat for two cosplaying characters that come from games filled with fighting.

Till next time.

12) The Titan Arena (Part 1)

Author's Note

Writing this took me waaaaaay too long. But I enjoyed writing it.

Also be warned that I may have made a few writing mistakes, I was tired in writing the last of this and just wanted to get it out. I'll edit them out in the future.

12) The Titan Arena (Part 1)

"Yes! You fight and people bet and I make money! It's all good."

Ajuur of the Taris Dueling Ring, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

The streets were alive with music and life. Just as Celestia’s sun had begun to set, street lamps were lit up and street performers had set up in the occasional section of concrete to display their talent. Many of the performers had taken up an instrument and each one we passed was just as unique as the last. A griffin with a classic guitar strummed his instrument with his talons and produced an easy listening song that had me enthralled to its rhythm. More musicians like the griffin guitarist worked in tandem with dancers who exposed me first to what griffin dancing actually looked like. It mostly took place in the air, and the bodies of the griffin dancers were in tune with the music as they flew through the air in wondrous patterns. Yet there was a sort of harshness to them in some of their movements, like they were people who shouldn’t be underestimated. The dancers only touched the ground to bow at the end of a song and were immediately in the air again when another song had begun.

A Saddle Arabian mare nearly as tall as Celestia sat on a floating carpet as she performed magic tricks for a crowd. However with my connection to the Force I realized there was no actual magic involved in her tricks and it was actually a display of sleight of hoof and illusion. It was all very impressive in my opinion, and I think the crowd was more fascinated with how the tricks were being performed without the use of actual magic.

Acrobats, comedians, jugglers, and more filled the streets as Thistle guided us all through the island city. It was a slow pace cause each time our group came across another street entertainer Katy and I had to stop and watch for a moment or two. The prince didn’t seem to mind, in fact it seemed like he was going out of his way to get us close to every street entertainer possible. I even noticed that he left a generous amount of bits for each entertainer after we finished watching. The amount of money he was tossing left and right begged me to wonder how his suit’s pockets were containing so much money. After we passed our twentieth street entertainer, Thistle had probably just given away nearly his entire weight in gold at this point! Was that black and dark purple suit of his enchanted as well?

Thistle was a diligent tour guide and he made sure to direct our attention to every attraction that was worth attention. Especially if Thistle owned said attraction. A casino here and there, lavish hotels with individual styles that were meant to attract a certain type of crowd, and restaurants that specialized in certain varieties of food. All of it begged my attention, and I desperately wanted to see it all.

This island was like paradise. Everywhere I looked there was something new and inviting to experience.

We began to attract quite a crowd as well. People of all kinds of races gawked at us as we passed and those who had cameras were fast on the draw. Griffins were especially drawn to me as their gazes were filled with awe and curiosity. It seemed like they all wanted to crowd around me and my sister and wanted to ask us questions non-stop. But they didn’t, instead they all kept a respectful distance as we passed and I began to realize that it was the royalty in our group that prevented them from swarming us. Griffins would bow their heads respectively to Falca and Thistle as we passed them and the royal Hiallan siblings would nod their heads occasionally as well in response to their subjects.

Then I noticed that some of the griffins would bow to me as soon as they were done bowing to the royal siblings. I… didn’t know exactly what to think about that, but I definitely felt honored. I also felt embarrassed and undeserving of their submissive gestures but didn’t know if it would be considered rude to tell them to stop. Seeing people bow to me was so surreal.

And if I was being honest with myself, I found it to be a little intoxicating.

We eventually passed what seemed to be a police station with the acronym IGPD inscribed onto a board on top of the station. The griffin officers walking in and out of the building wore a black and blue leather type of barding with hand sized (or in this case paw sized) crossbows attached to leather belts at their waists. Some officers took flight to other parts of the city while some officers returned with tipsy island patrons that looked like they needed to sleep the night off in a cell.

There was a billboard set in front of the station with a host of wanted posters plastered all over every conceivable space. Each poster offered a reward for the opportunistic bounty hunter who could bring in what were obviously very dangerous individuals. However, a majority of the posters had an X crossed over their pictures, symbolizing that they had already been caught.

One bounty poster stood out amongst them all at the very center of the billboard. The strangest thing about the wanted poster wasn’t that it was the largest of the posters or that it had a reward amount that dwarfed every other poster combined. It was the fact that there was no portrait portraying the criminal. Instead there was only a shaded silhouette of a griffin with a question mark pasted in front of it. The description on the bottom half of the poster read…

WANTED: THE PIRATE QUEEN

AGE: UNKNOWN

DEPICTION: UNKNOWN

This monstrous harpy has haunted Hiallan waters for generations. It is unclear whether she has found a way to make herself immortal, or if she is simply a successor to a long line of pirate queens. What is known is that she is and always has been a griffin female and has led many a successful raid against every kind of ship in both the air and sea. She has lead the largest pirate organization in our world’s history and the herald of her raids has always begun with a thick fog followed by an attack by her sizable fleet. BEWARE, for her pirate fleet is not even the greatest of her assets. She also maintains control over a massive sea beast known only as the Leviathan.

NOTE: She is to be captured ALIVE at all costs by order of King Grinnail. Due to her countless crimes against House Hialla and several other governments, the only rightful punishment for a criminal like her is to be another block on the line for all to see. Death is too merciful of a punishment.

BOUNTY HUNTERS: For more details, please consult the local police chief.

REWARD: 100,000,000 BITS

There was that phrase again, “Another block on the line.” It was obviously a punishment of some sort, something griffins considered even worse than death apparently. I made a note to ask Falca what the phrase actually means when we found ourselves in a more private and quiet setting. I didn’t want to risk ruining our group’s merry mood by bringing up the sensitive subject of criminal justice.

As I gazed upon the wanted poster for a few seconds longer, I suddenly remembered the day when I was brought to the Hiallan castle and Falca was being treated for her wounds after her battle with the Aper Major. When her older sister Takada barged into the infirmary room and the two sisters had their heated argument.

“Is the throne really worth that much to you? You would willingly go and do a suicide mission just to prove yourself!?” Takada fired back.

“It’s apparently worth more to me than all of us, since I’ve actually learned how to govern our people while you still spend your time in the military chasing pirates.”

I remembered Falca shouting those words at Takada and I curiously wondered if it was actually this Pirate Queen that Takada was hunting.

……

After about an hour of walking and tourism we arrived at our destination. The center piece and core attraction of the Isle of Gaiety. The Titan Arena in all its glory and sheer size.

I thought it was big from just a distance but now that I was standing before it I couldn’t believe how it could be this huge! The statues of arena gladiators that were barely discernable a couple miles away were now as tall as three story buildings as they stood proudly within the arches of the arena’s axes. Then there was the cheers and applause that emanated from within and I could swear that I felt the very ground quake.

Hundreds of griffins filed through ground entrances or flew into the arena on upper terraces. Thistle lead us through one of the ground entrances and made sure to politely thank the line of griffins who stepped aside to allow us through. Once we were inside we skipped past a ticket booth and found ourselves in an entrance hall of some sort. Arena patrons ambled across the hall or engaged in dialogue at tables with dinks. Vendor stores carved into the white marble walls served drinks and food through teller windows and the distinct smell that was in the air told me that they were mostly serving alcohol.

A main stairway at the center of the room led to a large and lavish doorway where the cheers of a crowd told me that the main attraction was thorough there. We were beginning to walk up the stairs when the door opened and a griffin dragged another griffin out with him by the neck. The griffin dragging the other griffin was an intimidating individual with brown and white hawk features and a striped tiger’s lower body. What made this griffin so intimidating was the forest camouflage scaled armor he wore and the plethora of weapons he carried. He carried two mini crossbows on a belt at his flanks with a full quiver next to each one along with a pouch strapped to his right hind leg. A round steel buckler with a spike protruding from its center rested on his back with what seemed to be a gladius type of sword latched within it. Across his chest was a bandolier pocketing over a dozen small spherical objects that somehow made me think of grenades. He had a strong, steely visage like King Grinnail but he had a scowl on his face that suggested he would rather be doing something else right now.

The griffin he was carrying out was rather ordinary and she had a sluggish aura about her that suggested she was drunk. She laughed loudly as she was carried out the door by the neck and only laughed harder as the intimidating griffin released her at the edge of the stairs, her back to us. Thistle stopped us at the beginning of the stairs and told us to wait as events ensued above us. Many patrons in the entrance hall halted their conversations to stare at the top of the stairs as the inebriated griffin continued to laugh obnoxiously.

“Tilla this is the third time I’ve had to come and collect you for another debt evasion. Boss Crast wants his money and he knows you have enough to pay him off right now. He’s given you three months this time and he’s done waiting. Either walk over to his office right now, or I’m dragging you there.” The intimidating griffin said giving the drunk griffin his ultimatum, his voice gruff and deep.

The drunk just laughed off his demand and she wobbled side to side as she spoke. “Oh come oooon Bane I swear I’ll pay Crast tomorrow, I want to watch the rest of Bronze Soldier’s fight against that hydra.” She tried to walk past him but the intimidating griffin now known as Bane blocked her path as she tried to pass him.

“Last chance Tilla, either walk with me to Boss Crast’s office or I drag you to him bruised and tied up.” The scowl on Bane’s beak got uglier.

“Oooh nooo, please mister bounty hunter don’t hurt me,” she said sarcastically with a hiccup. “You know what, *hic* I think you’re not as tough as everygriffin says you are. I think you’re just a lousy bounty hunter who only wears scary gear just to look tough. Get out of my way or I’ll run you over you…you…uhhhh weakling!” Tilla then started to giggle as if to congratulate herself on her choice of an insult.

Tilla tried to push Bane out of the way but Bane wasn’t moving. The griffin female took a few steps back and let out a lion like growl as she pounced the bounty hunter, talons extended. The bounty hunter simply pulled the steel buckler from behind his back and shoulder charged the pouncing griffin. Careful to not skewer her with the spike in the center of the buckler, the bounty hunter sent Tilla flying down the stairs and toward us. We scrambled to the side of the stairs as Tilla tumbled past us and landed on the ground floor, groaning and barely conscious.

Bane calmly walked down the stairs and bowed to Thistle and Falca as soon as he reached the ground level. “My deepest apologies for that display your highnesses. She was being rather difficult.” The bounty hunter reached into his pouch to bring out some rope and began to tie Tilla’s wings to her sides.

“Think nothing of it darling, I know all too well how difficult debtors can be.” Bane gave the prince a grunt in agreement as he finished the knot on Tilla’s wings and began to work on her forelegs and hind legs. Tilla groaned in protest as she was roughly hogtied but didn’t resist, likely too drunk and too weak from her fall to put up much of a fight anymore.

“What’s going to happen to her? She’s going to be okay, right?” Katy asked Bane, worried for the drunk’s well-being.

“Probably roughed her up too much with that fall, but I think she’ll just have an even worse hangover when she wakes up tomorrow. She’s lucky I hunted her down before she could risk gambling her debt money on arena matches. Don’t worry Undyne she’ll be okay.” Bane answered Katy, causing Katy to look at him bewilderedly as he used her cosplay name.

“You surprised?” Bane asked as he looked between Katy and me. “Unless you live isolated in a cave somewhere, I don’t think there is a soul alive that doesn’t know who you two are by this point. Oh, and by the way…” Bane paused in his work to reach into his pouch again and produced two small cards.

“My card my lord and lady.” Bane handed to each of us his card which had a list of ways to contact him and the hunting service he provided. A small description at the bottom read: “The best in the business.”

“I get the feeling that you two will need the services of someone like me in the future. The best hunts are usually found from people like you.” Bane returned to tying the last knot on Tilla’s forelegs and began to hoist her onto his back. “I’m getting tired of this low level crap.”

“Ummm, thank you Mr. Bane, I’ll be sure to keep you in mind if anything comes up.” I said unsure of what use Katy and I will have for a bounty hunter. I slipped the card into a small thin pouch in my belt for safekeeping.

Just out of curiosity I tried to listen to the bounty hunter’s surface thoughts. At this point, my breaches into one’s personal privacy of the mind have become a routine bad habit. Through the Force I sensed that Bane was a person with a resolute and focused train of thought. His perception often focused on minuscule details that may or may not interfere with his work and he quickly arbitrated whether they were worth time and effort to remove. Was this knot too tight to cut off blood circulation? Was Tilla intoxicated enough to warrant a trip to a doctor’s office before dropping her off at this Boss Crast’s office?

But behind all the thoughts of a person remarkably focused on his work, I sensed a layer of desire deeper within. I delved further and found a griffin who longed to hunt worthy prey again. To feel the emotional rollercoaster when a good hunt had begun, and then to feel that sense of euphoria once more when he had claimed victory over his prey.

I felt like this guy needed to meet HK-55 and exchange notes.

As Bane walked away with his bounty on his back, Thistle came up next to me and tapped my belt. “I’d keep a hold of that little card you two. He’s not exaggerating when his card says he’s the best in the business. I may not have had the need to hire him myself but many of my associates applaud his skill in the hunter’s trade and his near perfect record. But then again, that’s to be expected from someone of his background. His ancestral bloodline have produced some of the greatest hunters the world has ever seen.”

Thistle sighed to himself as if he was recalling something very sad. “It’s sad seeing someone as accomplished as him performing such pitiful hunts. He’s the last of House Callista and has slain great beasts and caught the deadliest of criminals for both House Hialla and House Ridara. If the highest paying hunts he can find on the Shattered Isles are debt collecting jobs then it’s just another sign of the very peaceful times we live in. The worst time for an experienced bounty hunter in the prime of his youth.”

Thinking of the poster I saw outside the police station just barely an hour ago, I questioned Thistle’s statement.

“Isn’t there a hundred million bit wanted poster just outside the IGPD station?”

Thistle considered my question for a moment, but it was Falca who answered.

“If you’re referring to the Pirate Queen then it’s because Bane and others like him know better than to get in another hunter’s way. The Pirate Queen is House Hialla’s prey, and it’s been that way since she reemerged nearly two decades ago. The poster is just a formality.”

“Reemerged?” I asked.

Nodding her head Falca continued in a slightly heated tone. “It was a Hiallan who slew her after so many warriors, fleet admirals, and monarchs failed to end her reign. Even Princess Celestia failed to catch her. She was a menace to governments across the world and so the whole world applauded when it was our House that put a stop to her. But since another pirate has amassed another fleet and declared herself Queen, it’s a point of pride that House Hialla take this Queen out as well. We’re sure it’s just a very successful copycat but the issue of pride is there all the same.”

“So who was the Hiallan that took out the real pirate Queen then?” Katy asked completely fascinated. I wasn’t surprised, Katy loved stories that involved pirates.

The Hiallan royal siblings puffed up their feathered chests with pride as Falca answered.

“It was our father, King Grinnail.”

We entered past the doors into the heart of the Titan Arena and I thought that my poor fishy senses were about to be overloaded. The roar of a crowd was heard more clearly through the windows of the vast room we entered and the mix of joyful laughter or howls of anger amplified the noise. Various smells of sweat, cooked food, and lemongrass incense battled for dominance in the air. Intricate artistic lamps hanging from the ceiling bathed the room in a golden light that gave me the feeling of standing outside in the sunlight. All the while, the temperature in the room was a pleasant warmth that felt good against my blue scaled hide.

Our group entered what looked to be a gambling den where dozens of people, mostly griffins, queued in lines to booths that appropriated their wealth for the chance to acquire even more wealth. The den was a white marble room like the entrance hall and there was so much space that I felt like I could build 2 of Ponyville’s cottages within its center. It was a curved rectangular room that focused more on length then it did on height and width but both dimensions were still impressive nonetheless. In front of me on the far side of the room were the gambling booths and beside them were entrances and windows that led out to the Titan Arena’s stands and main attraction. To my left and right at both ends of the room sat doorways which led to different rooms that griffins and other races would occasionally walk through.

What these other rooms contained? I had no idea, but I had a feeling we were about to find out sooner or later.

Thistle continued to explain to Jack and I details of the arena and names I knew I would probably forget an hour later. Like I did with most tours I went on. So instead, I focused on the really interesting stuff. Like the windows that gave us a view of the fighting happening inside the arena. Thistle took us close to one of these windows as we prepared to enter the room on the right side of the gambling den, and my jaw dropped at the fight ensuing below.

The arena was packed with spectators who filled its massive expanse with roars of unrestrained glee and approval. The arena pit was a large circular pit that had to be at least 200 meters in diameter with a rocky terrain filled with miniature hills, boulders, and the occasional long ground fissure that seemed to swallow light within their maws. The battle happening within the pit was being partaken by a bronze feathered griffin gladiator whose only weapons were a pair of long deadly metal claws that seemed to fit on his talons like a glove. He faced a massive 4-headed hydra who was racked with several bleeding scars along its body. 2 of the beast’s heads were dragged behind it as the hydra chased after the bronze feathered gladiator as he flew in the sky dodging the beast’s 2 remaining snapping jaws.

The bronze feathered gladiator had just dodged another of the hydra’s snapping jaws when he pirouetted in mid-air to rake his deadly metal claws along the hydra’s snout. The hydra head receiving the blow hissed violently and shook its head in shock from the blow, while it’s other remaining head continued its attack. In the blink of an eye, the bronze feathered gladiator dodged yet another snapping jaw with a graceful shift in his flight pattern and appeared right underneath the hydra head’s jaw. The bronze feathered gladiator latched himself, claws and paws, to the beast’s jaw and did something that looked like it came straight out of a movie.

The bronze feathered gladiator pushed with his hind legs and pulled with his claws as he traveled down the hydra head’s long neck. Blood, red and vibrant, spewed from the hydra’s neck as the gladiator travelled downward raking scales down with him as if they were leaves. When he reached halfway down to the hydra head’s neck the gladiator leaped off and took flight again with blood clinging to the underside of his body.

Another of the hydra’s heads had joined the others on the ground and the bronze feathered gladiator flew upwards till he was safely away from the final hydra head’s reach. He hovered in the arena with his forearms stretched outwards to his sides as if waiting to receive something and the crowd gave him their applause. Roars of delight emanated from thousands of spectators and the bronze feathered gladiator bathed in the glow of their approval.

“AND YET ANOTHER HEAD GOES DOWN, AND IN SUCH A BRUTAL FASHION. BRONZE SOLDIER, OUR SILVER CHAMPION, SHOWS US ONCE AGAIN HOW NO CREATURE BIG OR SMALL IS A MATCH FOR HIS SKILL AND HIS BATTLE CLAWS. GOOD PATRONS OF THE TITAN ARENA I DO BELIEVE THIS HYDRA IS ON HIS LAST LEG, OR SHOULD I SAY… LAST HEAD!” Cried a loud and dazzling voice from what sounded like the Titan Arena’s promoter. His voice drowned out the roars of the crowd and the crowd seemed to only get louder at the end of his words.

“Wow… that’s a lot of blood,” I whispered to myself as I watched the spectacle down below.

“Katy darling, are you going to join us?” Thistle called out as he, Jack, Vigilant, and Falca were about to head into the next room on the right.

“Coming!” I called out to them as I took one last glance back into the arena. Bronze Soldier was flying circles over the final hydra head and had just dodged a desperate snapping jaw to bring his battle claws down on the hydra’s right eye. I walked over to my group just as the Hydra’s roar of pain joined in with the clamors of the crowd.

Our group entered the next room, a restaurant of some sort, and I had to admit I was starting to have doubts about this. I really should have asked Prince Thistle what sort of fighting Jack and I would have to do. I had no problem killing a few animals or monsters. My Dad, Jack, and I used to hunt plenty of game together whether they were white-tailed bucks or cute little bunnies. Even went through the whole gory process of butchering and skinning game too. But I wondered if it would only be beasts we would be fighting here.

Were we going to fight people too? If we were, are there safety measures to make sure that no one was seriously injured or killed. Or is this going to be like ancient roman times where sick people had slaves forced into a pit just to get killed? Are Jack and I going to fight SLAVES or some shit? Damn it why didn’t I ask about this until I saw a gladiator rip a freaking hydra’s throat out? Hell, I thought everything in pony world would be PG but boy was I wrong. I thought this would be like bare knuckle boxing or something like that.

Oh well, better ask now than never.

“Hey Thistle we’re not going to be hurting anyone are we?” I asked as we entered another room, this room looked like a bar with griffin waiters and waitresses serving drinks that laid on trays on their backs. Prince Thistle looked back at me with a look that said, “Are you serious,” so I elaborated quickly as I realized how dumb my question was when I remembered where we were.

“I mean, what kind of fighting are Jack and I going to do? Like are we going to fight people to the death or something?”

Realization dawned on the prince and he gave me another of his smiles as he answered my question.

“Do not worry darling. No intelligent living being has died here for over 3 centuries. We stopped having gladiators fight to the death once we realized that having less people die actually helped us keep a consistent amount of employees. It even increased our audience size when the more timid races realized they wouldn’t have to watch one of their own die if some brave soul wanted to test themselves against a griffin’s talons.”

The crowd got louder and the promoter announced how Bronze Soldier had finally finished the Hydra off.

“However we didn’t deprive the Arena entirely from taste of blood. We breed beasts and capture demons who occasionally escape Tartarus so they can satisfy our more bloodthirsty patrons. Although we only ever use beasts on Silver matches with the more experienced gladiators.

Before I could even ask my question on what the heck Silver matches were, Thistle anticipated the question and answered first.

“The Arena is divided into four divisions for gladiators to compete in: Qualifiers, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each division has different numbers of rounds, depending on the skills of the gladiator. For each fight won, the gladiator receives a certain amount of prize money, and it will increase the further the gladiator progress. You can also receive special benefits like housing in the Arena itself, unlimited access to free food and drink, and all sorts of wonderful little pleasures.”

“In the Qualifiers we have the abundant rabble who come in to seek out some glory or try finish a dispute with a legal fight. The Bronze division houses capable fighters who fight the most out of all the gladiators and deliver most of the arena’s entertainment. Qualifier and Bronze matches are usually scheduled between Monday and Thursday.

“In the Silver division we have seasoned warriors who are pitted against themselves, various difficult challenges, and of course blood thirsty beasts as you saw just now. If a gladiator reaches the Silver division many will start to pay more attention to them and glory is almost always assured. Silver matches are scheduled between Friday and Saturday.”

“The Gold division only has matches on Sundays, but that is because gladiators in this division are few and are considered the most esteemed of warriors. Each is a master of their own fighting style and will certainly provide a challenge to even the most gifted of warriors.”

“Each division has a champion with Grand Champion at the top for the Gold division.” Thistle finished as he described the Titan Arena’s hierarchy.

“So what do you do as Keeper of the Titan Arena?” Jack asked as we entered yet another room, this time another gambling den.

‘Where exactly are we going?’ I asked myself.

“As Keeper it is my job to oversee match schedules, handle the profits from the gambling, keep Arena patrons fed with good food and drink, and occasionally seek out sexy new talent for the Arena to keep things interesting. Like you two for instance,” Thistle said with a giggle.

Yeah I get it, it is his job to attract customers to his business and to keep them wanting to come back. Actually, this wasn’t the first time I had someone like Thistle trying to get me to fight for a business like this.

Back when I was human and in my junior year at college some talent seeker came up to me and wanted me to fight in the sport that was ‘foxy boxing.’ I was a track star in high school and kept fit in college by joining a boxing club that trained its members and taught them how to defend themselves. I was good at boxing, not great or a savant in any way, just good enough to put up a decent fight. Also, considering the trail of lovers I left behind, I was proud to admit I was pretty damn hot. I was young, sexy, and knew how to fight so this was exactly what the talent seeker was looking for in his rather erotic sport.

The guy REALLY wanted me to join and I had to admit I was pretty tempted. The pay was real good and I needed the money. College bills were expensive and I felt bad that Mom and Dad were paying for most of it, including my brother’s. I didn’t mind punching someone’s lights out and I honestly didn’t care if some horny assholes stared at my tits as I fought in what were obviously going to be skimpy clothes. I also liked the idea that I could save up on some money before I went off to join the Air Force after I got my bachelor's degree from college. But in the end I declined the offer just for the very same reason that I wanted to join the Air Force and wanted to be a pilot in general. Boxing, foxy or otherwise, risked the chance of me getting long lasting injuries. I wanted complete healthy control over my nervous system and getting punched in the head repeatedly risked that.

So I declined the talent seeker’s offer and just stuck to boxing practice in the club. He didn’t take my answer too well and kept calling me afterwards, insisting that his job offer was a good idea. He even said he would up my pay but I still said no probably over a dozen times. No matter how many adult conversations I had with him he still would not listen.

The grease ball even tracked me down to my dorm room in college and left me letters with more offers. That was the final straw and before I called the cops and got a restraining order like any other good respectable citizen. I tracked HIM down to his place and told him no one last time with a good punch to the diaphragm and a punch to the always easily breakable nose.

In hindsight, attacking the grease ball probably wasn’t a good idea since he could’ve charged me with assault but I think I scared him too well. Or maybe there was some other reason the guy didn’t press charges. Either way, I never saw him again.

When I considered Prince Thistle and compared him to that grease ball I didn’t really feel that they were alike in any way. Thistle was obviously a lustful little beast if those bedroom eyes he was throwing me were any indication. I just knew he was imaging what Jack and I were like naked. But I had the feeling if I were to decline any of Thistle’s offers, the prince would actually listen to my reasons and respect my decision. I also had the feeling that the prince was the type of person who would always use his power and position to satisfy his desires and pleasures, but would never use his power to abuse others for his pleasure. I could be wrong though, I only just met the prince today.

Three more marble rooms later Thistle stopped us at a set of oak sliding doors that appeared to finally be our destination. Griffin guards on both sides of the door bowed their heads to us and each grasped a handle to open the door for us. As we walked through the doors I took my time examining the room and its occupants. The walls were a white marble like the rest of the coliseum but they were covered with beautiful glass mosaics that depicted great griffin warriors doing battle with each other. The light reflecting off the mosaics were emitted from a grand crystal chandelier that by itself seemed to be worth more than 10 times my total life savings back on earth. Two more oak doors led to different parts of the arena with one on the wall leading towards the arena’s center and another directly opposite of us with more guards at its sides.

The occupants of the room, a couple dozen or so intimidating individuals who obviously had to be arena gladiators, all stopped what they were doing to stare at us. Griffins dominated the room in intimidating sets of armor with weapons of all kinds sitting in belts at their hips. A lone smiling zebra was sharpening a small blade the size of my hand with a whetstone and her smile widened when she noticed us. Surprisingly, there was even a group of ponies among the crowd. The three of them were mares with the same pure white fur coat and each of them came from a different tribe of ponykind. The unicorn had a purple mane like Rarity’s however the mane’s length was unnaturally long and would have been touching the ground had it not been for the magic keeping it afloat in the air like Princess Celestia’s and Luna’s. The pegasus’s had a short cropped yellow mane with a long pale scar traveling horizontally across her muzzle. The earth pony was as large as Big Macintosh with a feathered mane as equally as red as his fur coat.

A group of 4 minotaurs sat together at a table in a corner with the tallest of them gazing intensely at me and Jack. They all stared at us, but not as intently as this guy. It was like he was sizing me up and judging what I was worth. His stare was unsettling I’ll admit but I made sure to show no weakness by keeping my back straight and my gaze didn’t falter when I stared right back at him. He chuckled when I returned his gaze and he broke our staring contest to go back to his conversation with his fellow minotaurs.

“Ahhh, good evening darlings!” Thistle said jubilantly as he strutted into the center of the room with the Twin Serpents at his back. “I have brought new talent to the arena, and I hope you all are ready to receive the fight of your lives. Aliens from outer space go up against the best warriors Eques has to offer. Ohhhh this is going to be splendid!”

Thistle turned his head back and forth as if he was searching for someone but wasn’t finding them. “Where is Guile? The last match ended a minute ago did it not?”

One of the gladiators gave off a hearty laugh before answering the prince.

“Hahaha, I think he had to see about getting all that gore out of the arena stage before coming back up here. Bronze Soldier sure left a mess out of that Hydra in the last fight. We keep telling him he shouldn’t play with his food but… you know how he is your highness.”

“Only too well. I swear if the lout wasn’t so good at what he does I would have thrown him out of this arena ages ago.” Thistle replied in a dry tone. Just as he finished his sentence the oak door opposite of us opened up and Bronze Soldier came swaggering into the room. His armor was gone and only his metal claws remained on him after his bout in the arena. He was completely soaked and all evidence of the Hydra’s blood were gone on his bronze colored feathers.

If pride was a smell, Bronze Soldier simply reeked of the stuff. The way he walked into the room and how he didn’t seem to care that he was getting water everywhere painted him as nothing but an arrogant ass. But I couldn’t judge the guy too harshly, if I had just beat a giant 4 headed lizard single-handedly I’d be letting the whole world know how badass I was too.

“Bronze Soldier, congratulations on your last fight. You were simply marvelous darling,” Thistle’s eyes traveled down to the floor where small puddles of water were beginning to trail from the gladiator. The prince’s smile tightened on his beak. “Oh darling did you forget where the towels were in the showers? You should really dry yourself off before getting water all over my floor.”

Bronze Soldier clearly wasn’t expecting us and Prince Thistle to be here before he arrived. His arrogant demeanor dimmed and he bowed low to the prince before he explained himself.

“So sorry your highness I’m still pretty riled up after that last fight and I must have forgot. I’ll ask for a towel at the bar before I have my supper.” His voice was deep and cracked, as if his vocal cords had once gone through a garbage disposal before he used them.

“Please see that you do,” Thistle’s tone was still its bright and bubbly self but I could tell that he was less than pleased.

Bronze Soldier made his way to the door where we came from and he paused as he was just about to pass us. His eyes traveled up and down Jack’s person, examining him, and Jack himself coughed into his fist to bring the griffin’s attention to his face.

“Excuse me, can I help you with something,” Jack said putting on a friendly smile. Bronze Soldier matched my brother’s smile with one of his own, but the griffin’s didn’t seem sincere at all.

“Just wanting to see what all the fuss is about. It’s not every day you get to meet a Warden in person.” His smile was gone now, replaced with a sneer. “You stole my title by the way, the Aper Major was supposed to be my kill.”

Jack kept up his smile despite the gladiator’s obvious attitude towards him.

“Well I’m sorry to hear that but the Aper Major fell to my saber and it was the king who offered me the title. I did not ‘steal’ the title of Warden from anyone.”

“Ooohhh please,” the bronze gladiator scoffed. “The Warden of the Shattered Isles is a mantle that has been held by griffins and only griffins for over a millennia. You stole the honor of killing that beast from a true griffin of the Shattered Isles. If anyone deserves the honor of being King Grinnail’s right talon it should be me, not some wingless ugly red giant.”

“Well, as I said, I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe I’ll show you that I’m deserving of the title when I fight in the arena tonight.” Jack replied being as diplomatic as ever. Come on Jack, he’s trash talking you so trash talk right back at him.

“I won’t hold my breath. Maybe if you go a couple rounds and actually get to Bronze I may give you some consideration. But who am I kidding, that face of yours probably couldn’t even take a punch from a breezie.”

Jack just continued to smile and shrugged his shoulders. OK that is it, if Jack isn’t gonna put this punk in his place then I’ll just have to do it for him.

“Can you move this along please?” I said interrupting the conversation while pinching my nose between my fingers as if ward off a bad smell. “Brass Soldier over here smells like a wet dog, and I thought griffins were supposed to be part feline.”

Bronze Soldier’s cocky behavior cracked a little as I called him by a much weaker alloy of metal. But he was quick to recover, he turned his attention to me and raised an eyebrow as if to wonder how I was there.

“Excuse me Warden, but I think a fish escaped the kitchens before it was properly cooked. Food shouldn’t be talking, it should be in my belly.”

‘Oh you are good.’

“I ain’t food chump. But if you’re hungry I can doll you up and take you out to town for dinner.”

Bronze soldier took to the air and got right in my face. I didn’t flinch.

“You’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that. I’m the best around, and I won’t be out-taunted by some inbred fish with legs!”

I took a moment to consider my retort then my eye caught sight of the zebra, still sharpening her blade with her whetstone. Thinking of Zecora, I decided to add a little rhyming in my words.

“HA, you call that taunting? I’ve heard kitten’s retch things more profound. Do you realize how pathetic and stupid you sound?”

“Well now aren’t you clever. How’s this one then, you’re a spastic, bile-filled clitsplitter.”

“I think you’re confused, that sounds more like your sister. I may have fish lips, but even I wouldn’t kiss her.”

He pressed his beak to my nose and our eyes never wavered from each other.

“You aren’t worthy to kiss my sister’s tail, let alone her beak. You mange-ridden freak of nature! Can you even see me right with that one eye?”

‘I’ve got you now.’ I pressed my nose a little harder into his beak, forcing him to back up in the air.

“You should’ve quit before we began. Cause I’m gonna make you wish you’d turn tail and ran.”

“Why you… uh, piece of…. Gahhh!” Bronze Soldier floated back onto the ground shaking his head. “Okay I’ve got to admit, you know how to roast with the best of them. You win.”

Bronze Soldier twisted his head to yell to the zebra across the room. “Hey Poison! I think this one can challenge even you at your own game.” The zebra gave off a loud laugh at the griffin’s assertion but returned her focus to sharpening her blade.

Bronze Soldier turned back to me and took off his metal claws to shake my hand with his talons. I laughed and took up his offer.

“Intelligence and wit count as much as strength and power in this arena. I think you’ll do just fine. As for you,” after breaking off from the handshake, Solider turned his attention to my brother. “Prove to the people that you’re worth putting their protection in your talons. The title of Warden means something to a lot of people on these isles.”

Bronze Soldier left through the oak doors and Prince Thistle came up to me with a round of applause.

“Well done, well done I say. You’ve just earned Bronze Soldier’s respect! No easy feat mind you.”

I felt a tugging on my pant leg and saw that Vigilant Star was trying to get my attention. He looked relieved and I just noticed that his horn was glowing briefly.

“For a minute there I thought you two were going to hit each other. I was getting a spell ready just in case something happened.”

“Yeah we were just giving each other crap. A lot of fighters do it all the time to get a feel for their competition. Also it’s a good way to stir up drama to get an audience’s attention. Glad you’re looking out for me though Vigilant.” I said as I reached down to pat his shoulder.

“Of course, I’m always on alert. It’s my job.”

“Hahaha right! You are Vigilant Star, you’re always ‘vigilant’.” I chuckled a little to see if he would get my mediocre joke but he just looked at me strangely.

Luckily before the atmosphere could get awkward another griffin walked through the same doorway Bronze Soldier came from and WOW he was a sight to look at. The bird part of him resembled a white feathered sulfur-crested cockatoo with so many colorful jewels and necklaces adorning his feathers that I would say he outshined Thistle in flamboyancy. His feline portion was a white tigers’ with stripes that would normally be black were instead a flashy artificial golden color that complimented his crest and the gold in his jewels. If I could pick one griffin in the world who I could definitely say was trying way too hard, it would be this guy.

He ran into the room a little out of breath and as I examined him a little more I could tell he was a little chunky compared to other griffins. After a few deep breaths he walked up to Thistle with a smile and promptly hugged the prince as soon as they got close to each other. They both kissed each other on both sides of their beaks as Thistle did back on the hotel roof and Thistle laughed after finishing their greeting.

“My darling Guile you are as fashionably late as ever. But whatever shall you do when you must work with a tiresome mistress like the Titan Arena?” Thistle asked while still embracing the other griffin. Guile gave off a hearty laugh at Thistle’s question before he replied.

“I do what I can your highness but I can’t complain when I actually enjoy the work. Besides business is booming today in the arena. We’ve already reached double the desired quota of the day and more and more people keep coming in as the night drags on. So, what brings you to the Blood Room tonight?”

Thistle threw a forearm around Guile shoulders and shepherded him towards us with the Twins at their sides. The white griffin seemed to just realize that we were in the room and he promptly gaped when he stared at me and Jack.

“Guile this our crimson Warden of the Shattered and Isles Jack Krieger and his beautiful cerulean sister Katy Krieger. Along with them is Vigilant Star of Equestria and of course you already know my lovely sister Princess Falca.”

“Of course! How could I not know of the Lady of my home island,” Guile bowed low to Falca and smiled brightly as he rose back up. “It is an honor as always my lady.”

“You are too kind as always Guile,” Falca said with a slight bow of her head as she did with all of her subjects.

“Jack, Katy, Vigilant this is Guile, the Titan Arena’s promoter. He arranges the fights and provides commentary during the fights themselves.”

‘Ahh so that is who he is,’ I thought to myself just as I recognized Guile’s voice from earlier.

“Jack and Katy are here to participate in the arena tonight.” Thistle said loud enough so only those in our group and Guile could hear. Guile’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Jack and I then back at Thistle.

“But… But tonight is a Silver night. I’ll grant you that they may be warriors far more deserving of Silver or even Gold matches, but they still need to fight in in Qualifiers and Bronze first.”

“That is why we are shaking things up a little tonight. For tonight we are having a Hialla’s Royale.”

Guile’s eyes somehow widened even further.

“Your highness that would disrupt all of tonight’s main events! Patrons have already placed their bets on the upcoming matches and I don’t know if we have enough qualifier gladiators ready for such a fight!”

“Then refund our patrons their money and tell all the Qualifier gladiators that they’ll have a chance to go at the Warden himself. That’ll get them ready to go in a flash. But if you still can’t find enough just get some Bronze gladiators to join in.” Thistle said trying to alleviate Guile’s apprehension, but it looked like it wasn’t having that much of an effect. “Don’t worry darling this is going to bring nothing but good fortune to the arena. Audiences loves surprises, especially when they are a good one.”

Guile still looked concerned but he started to count his talons to contemplate the matter.

“Ummm, what exactly is a Hialla’s Royale?” Jack asked while rubbing his chin.

Thistle’s ever-present smile turned to Jack and I noticed an excited gleam in the prince’s eyes.

“The Hialla’s Royale is a battle for glory in a survival of the fittest. We have one every three months and it’s simple in its own way, one hundred individuals in teams or by themselves have to battle each other in the arena until only one person or team is left standing. All of the combatants are Qualifier gladiators and they must fight each other with nothing but their own skills, magic, or tools that nature has gifted them with. You or your team have no armor and no weapons, just you and ONLY you.” Thistle sighed and puffed up his chest in pride as he paused in his explanation.

“The Royale is to commemorate one of our ancestor Hialla’s greatest triumphs in the arena when he battled a horde of gladiators from multiple species with nothing but his own talons and his three honor guards. Hialla challenged griffins from all the old Houses and nations abroad to send warriors to his arena to prove who was the strongest when it came to martial skill and tactics. It was a hard fought victory for our ancestor and his guard, but in the end he won and glory was his. That is also one of the rewards the gladiators shall receive if they are the ones last standing. Glory… glory, and a winner’s purse as fat as a full grown dragon’s head.”

“The winners also get to skip the Bronze division gladiators and have a go at the Bronze champion whenever they want. It is by far the fastest way to climb up the ranks in the arena.”

Jack and I looked at each other after Thistle finished his explanation, and Jack looked a little cautious.

“Personally I’m all for this. I think this can be a great way to show off what I can do to the Shattered Isles. Although I may have to leave out my lightsaber I’m sure I can manage. What do you think Katy?” Jack asked.

Honestly I didn’t think we would be starting off with something this big. Sure I knew how to use my fists and Vigilant and I have been practicing what I can do with my magic for over a week, but I still felt that this could be too much for a newbie like me.

But Thistle did say we could be in teams however.

I looked my brother over and wondered if we could pull out of this as a team. Jack looked like he could crush a watermelon between his biceps, and his power over the Force was pretty impressive when he made everything levitate inside Twilight’s library. Maybe this whole Royale would be a walk in the park? I was also pretty strong, I could lift bales of hay like they were nothing and I remembered all the feats of strength I displayed when I was running from the guards at Canterlot. I also wasn’t lacking in the magical department either. I could summon dozens of spear projectiles at a whim and hardly felt any fatigue when I used them. I may just be an amateur fighter unlike the real Undyne, but I still had her brute strength and all her power.

I also had plenty of determination to back it all up.

“Yeah, I think we’ll do just fine. Besides I think this will be pretty fun win or lose.” I said answering my brother.

“Excellent!” Thistle said excitedly as we said we would go along with this Royale. “Then we need to prepare. Guile get everything ready and find as many gladiators as you can. Jack, Katy we need to prep you both for the battle. Come with me, we are going to the Pens.”

13) The Titan Arena (Part 2)

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

15) Pursuing The Past

“Good day to you Princess Falca! Good day to you as well Prince Hyde!” One of the arena sentries hailed as he opened a door for myself and my little brother Hyde.

“A good day to you yourself sentry,” I replied before turning back to my little brother.“Now come on Hyde, he doesn’t blame you for what happened. Just explain to him what you are feeling and you’ll see that you’re getting yourself worked up over nothing. You’ll feel better I promise.”

My brother and I were on our way to meet up with Jack and Katy as they enjoyed a late lunch after Jack’s duel with the stranger that Jack had summoned. The duel was a spectacular spectacle to watch and after I found out that Jack was going to sample the arena food to recover his stamina from the fight I figured this would be the perfect time for Hyde to air out his feelings for what we did to Jack. The potion we gave Jack that turned him into his current crimson form was weighing heavily as a huge failure on Hyde’s mind and I knew my little brother would continue to punish himself if he wasn’t assured that Jack wasn’t upset over the whole debacle.

In my point of view, a griffin should air out what they’re feeling if they feel as if they’ve wronged someone they care about. If it served no purpose other than to unproductively punish themselves, then they are just hurting themselves and the ones they care about. A griffin should work up the nerve to speak their own mind to work past their failures. Hyde, however, didn’t seem to share that view, instead he would rather wallow in self-pity so he doesn’t bother people anymore.

“How can you be so sure of that Falca?” Hyde asked. “How can he not hate me? I turned him into a red skinned freak after he had already undergone a horrific transformation just days before. Can’t I just go back to my lab on the Nether Island? I have experiments I want to check up on.”

“You would rather check up on some pitiful experiments that can easily be redone in a day, rather than work on your relationship with one of the largest scientific phenomenon’s this world has ever seen?” I asked with exaggerated surprise.

“Well… look I just-.”

“Stop,” I interrupted as I leaned down to come to his eye level. “Hyde you are doing nothing but disappointing yourself by shutting yourself in. You can’t let things like regret and misery keep you from solving your problems.”

“Do you think I want to feel like this? I want things to be better between me and Jack but I just can’t walk up to people and just say sorry like it’s nothing. I’m… I’m afraid of what he’ll say okay, and I’m sick of hearing people get angry at me.”

Hyde just huffed and looked down at the floor with a sad frown on his beak.

“I’ve been nothing but a disappointment to House Hialla for years and I don’t think that is ever going to change. By the Ancestors, I tore our family apart by just being born! What’s the point of trying to fix past mistakes if I’m just going screw something else up in the future?”

“Hyde…” I said with a sad sigh.

“FALCA!” A loud familiar voice called out behind me. Turning around I found that the voice belonged to my other brother Thistle, who strolled up behind us at a hurried pace along with his pets the Twin Serpents.

“My dear sister, you were just who I was looking for. Excuse me Hyde but I need to borrow our sister for a moment.”

“Thistle I’m busy right now, it’s not a good time,” I said with a little heat as I turned back Hyde.

“Falca it’s important I need your help,” Thistle replied in an oddly serious tone.

“Not. A. Good. Time.” I repeated slowly so my elder brother would get the message.

“It’s father okay! He’s drunk and he’s about to do something stupid.”

Hyde and I looked at each other with wide eyes and we turned around to give Thistle our full attention. I quickly looked around the arena hallway to make sure that nogriffin or anybody heard what Thistle said and brought a single talon up to my beak to warn Thistle to speak quietly.

“What’s going on?” I whispered.

“Father got a little… overexcited, after watching Jack fight that cute little stranger he summoned from beyond the void. You both saw how he was during the Royale last night, his roars practically filled half the arena. Well anyway, he sent one of his guards to retrieve his claymore and his old armor from the castle and he told me to set up a match with any gladiator that would fight him. I believe his exact words were, “Find me the biggest, strongest, ugliest bastard in this entire arena. I want to hit somebody and I want them to hit me till I’m, *ahem*, pissing out blood.” Thistle said with an uncomfortable grimace.

“How much has he had to drink?” I questioned as multiple scenarios spun around inside my head.

“Last night? He had around 6 bottles of Savvy. Today, on the other talon, I lost count after 11.”

I heaved a heavy sigh after I heard that number. Like anyone else, Father was not himself when he was drunk. Except, unlike anyone else, father was King of House Hialla and was the leader and representative to millions of griffins. If Father embarrassed himself or, Ancestors forbid, got himself hurt it would ensure disastrous consequences for our House. House Hialla and House Ridara are in the middle of a diplomatic crisis and we absolutely do not need the king of House Hialla causing a scene. Our people need their leader to be the personification of unwavering strength amidst this crisis and that can’t happen if their leader is drunkenly picking fights in the Titan Arena out of the blue.

“Falca,” Thistle continued. “You’re the only one that can get through to him when he’s like this. He needs a voice of reason right now.”

“Okay, okay fine I’m on it but-.” I looked down to Hyde and considered our conversation just moments ago.

‘Dealing with Hyde’s issues are important too. I can’t just walk away from him when he’s in this state of mind.’

I brought my gaze back up to Thistle and tried to silently tell him with my eyes that Hyde and I were truly in the middle of something important. Thistle’s beak opened up in a silent ‘ahh’ and he looked between Hyde and me before giving me a wink in understanding. At least I hope he understood.

I bent down low to Hyde and told him to look me in the eyes.

“Hyde I want you to promise that you’ll at least talk to Jack alright.”

Hyde mumbled unsurely and dropped his beak to gaze at the ground instead, but I used a talon to force him to look back up at me.

“Please, little brother?” I asked softly.

“Okay.” He said finally after a few seconds. “I’ll talk to him, but I won’t guarantee anything else.”

“Falca hurry, father isn’t going to stop himself.” Thistle said quickly.

“Alright, where is he?” I asked.

“Ready room 3 in the Pens.”

“Got it, I’m on my way.”

I rushed past Thistle and the Twin Serpents to head towards the Pens, but before I left the hallway I quickly looked back towards my brothers for a moment. Thistle had a wing draped over his smaller brother and he urged him in the direction Hyde and I were going originally. I just barely heard what Thistle said to Hyde.

“Don’t look so sad Hyde. Guess what, I’ve got some good news that’ll lift your spirits! Remember that favor you asked to find…”

……

The door to ready room 3 was just in front of me and I had to breathe a sigh of relief after hearing father’s voice from behind the door.

“Ahh, it feels good to put this on again.”

‘Good, it means he hasn’t done anything yet.’

Opening the door I found my father in the center of the room getting dressed in glistening chainmail by a nervous arena aide. The aide looked so scared that she would mess something up, that I could tell that she was forcing her talons not to shake as she fitted father into his bronze chestplate. Father’s golden feathers shined brilliantly as it was complemented by the well-made piece of armor and his feathers were further enhanced as he draped himself with the purple scarf that he rarely ever took off.

Off to the side and resting on a weapon rack was father’s massive claymore, otherwise known as Crimson Tide. It was a heavy and powerful instrument of death, with an ornate hilt that had twin rubies embedded onto the sides of its pommel and a golden crossguard shaped like the mouth of a dragon. The blade itself was longer than most griffins at 180 centimeters with thick glimmering steel that was permanently stained in a fierce blood-red color at the blade’s double edges. Crimson Tide was infamous for its size and ludicrous 100-kilogram weight, but Father was the only griffin alive who could wield it and actually use it properly.

Father was an enigma amongst griffons when it came to fighting. For most griffins fighting mostly took place in the air so lighter equipment such as short swords, battle claws, bows, and spears are often the most sensible choice. But father was a goliath compared to most griffins and this allowed him to wear dense plate armor and wield weapons like Crimson Tide almost effortlessly. From the tales I was told by my griffins old enough to remember it, they would say that when he was in the prime of his youth, father used that claymore constantly in every battle he was in and its heavy weight made him a titan of griffin muscle and fortitude. Even at the old age of 62, that impressive muscle and fortitude showed even to this day.

But when father turned to me with a hearty laugh and a drunk hiccup, all that impressive muscle and fortitude appeared rather lackluster.

“Hahaha, Falca! Come to see your old bird of a father before he steps out into the arena? Has Thistle set me up with a match yet?” Father asked as the aide walked behind him to strap bronze plated chausses onto his haunches.

“No father I’m here to-.”

“Oh blast it all, call me papa! I’m in a good mood, and I miss the days when my children were young cubs and cutely called me papa whenever they could.”

‘(*sigh*), I should just follow along. It’ll be easier to convince him to stop what he’s doing if I humor him a little… How long has it been since I called him papa?’

“Papa. I’m here because Thistle told me that-.”

“Ack! That’s too tight! What’s going on back there lass? Can’t you put my chausses on right?” Father asked as he turned his head around to glare at the aide.

I looked back to see what the problem was as well and saw the problem immediately. The straps and the armor plates were too small to fit around father’s haunches.

“I-I’m so, so sorry your majesty but your armor won’t… uhh… won’t-.”

“Come on lass, just spit it out.”

He was torturing the poor girl. The girl was too embarrassed and scared to tell her king that he was suffering from a very embarrassing problem. Since the aide was too scared to say it, I guess it will have to be me.

“Your ass is too fat to fit in your old armor papa,” I said simply.

The aide gasped and covered her beak, while father turned back to me with a scowl and a raised eyebrow.

“Did I just hear you correctly? Is that how I raised my children? To disrespect their father and king by suggesting that he has a fat ass?”

I just smiled and continued to speak frankly.

“Facts speak for themselves papa. The straps on your chausses are too small to fit around all that fat. If you think so otherwise, then not only are you fat but you are obviously delusional too.”

The aide hid her underneath her wings and trembled while father walked up to me slowly with a growl. He started down at me with his kingly glare and suddenly you couldn’t tell that he was completely drunk just moments ago. Father could be very intimidating even without trying. His status, his size, his reputation alone could terrify even the proudest of creatures. But I wasn’t scared at all. None knew King Grinnail more than his own children.

“hahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Father let out a booming laugh and shook his head as he walked away from me with loose chainmail trailing behind him. The aide peeked past her wings in confusion and gave me a look that said, ‘what in the world just happened?’

Decades of serving House Hialla as King had made father’s persona one of the most diplomatic and steadfast things you could ever see. But at his very core, father was a very straightforward person and appreciated even the harshest piece of honesty. He especially appreciated it when he was drunk and was often more open with that side of him when he was like this.

“Your name lass, what was it again?” Father asked the aide.

“Gily your majesty.”

“Gily, could you find me some larger chausses in the arena’s armory? You heard my daughter, it appears that your king is too fat for his old armor.” Father said while wheezing another laugh. He walked over to a table next to Crimson Tide that held another bottle of Savvy and poured himself a cup.

“R-Right away your majesty!”

Just before the aide passed me to get to the door, I stopped her with a raised talon and whispered into her ear.

“Ignore my father’s request and just take the day off Miss Gily. Don’t tell anyone what you saw here. But before you go, tell my brother Prince Thistle that I have everything under control.”

“But the king said-,” she argued.

I silenced her with a glare that told her she was to obey me completely and utterly. She gulped and nodded her head frantically before she practically ran out the door in fear. I kind of felt bad for scaring the poor girl so harshly but it had to be done.

I heard more wine being poured into another glass and looked back to father to see him offering me a glass of the red liquid.

“Thank you papa but I shouldn’t, and neither should you at this point.”

“Drink with your papa Falca.”

Arching my shoulders in a shrug I accepted the glass and sipped the hard but sweet wine. Savvy was among my favorite wines as well but I much preferred the Twisted Berry wines I kept in my own personal cellar on the Summer Island. Still, it was father’s favorite and I appreciated that he was willing to share it with me.

“Let me guess,” Father said he sat down on the floor. “You didn’t come down here to see your papa off before he goes out for a fight. You really just came down here to stop me because you think I’ll make a fool out of myself in this state.” He took a large swig from his glass before he looked back at me, expecting an answer.

“Thistle said you’ve had over 11 bottles.”

“Indeed, and this one will be number 15. And yes, my liver and bladder are already angry at me,” father said as he refilled his glass.

I sighed heavily at the number.

“I know you’re drunk but do you really not see the problem here?”

Father took another sip before he replied but hiccupped again before he could speak.

“I see the problem and I do not care. I’ve been in worse fights when my body was in much worse conditions than this. Back when I was a captain in the 2nd fleet, me and my crew were on a long voyage across the Cerulean Sea which left our clean water rations strained. We were dehydrated on most days and on some days I was more delirious than any drunkard on 6 shots of absinthe. But when we got ambushed by pirates one hot summer day, I remembered how I pushed through my delirium and fought off over two dozen pirates with the marine attachment we had on board. I even remember how I caved in this one pirate’s entire chest with a single punch. Probably shattered every rib he had. Bloody Ancestors I was strong back then!”

He took another sip.

“And don’t even get me started on my gladiator days here at the Titan Arena. I could’ve gotten into the Gold division and been Grand Champion if my elder brother hadn’t-,” he paused as anger, sadness, and regret washed over his face all at once. He took a huge swig of his wine before he looked away from me and stared at the floor.

“Hadn’t gotten himself killed,” He finished.

I raised my glass in honor of the Uncle I never knew and took a sip of the wine.

“Do you really see the problem here papa?” I asked as candidly as I could. “First, you are way older than that ship captain fighting off pirates all those years ago. Time has obviously dulled your edge if your haunches are anything to go by. Second, you are old AND drunk. Even if you can still swing Crimson Tide as well as you use to, you don’t have the reflexes to wield it as effectively. Third, and this is the most important one, we can’t afford to be taking potentially embarrassing risks at a time like this when we are in the middle of a diplomatic crisis with House Ridara. Do you think King Stormbeak will take you seriously if you get yourself kicked around by gladiators in front of your own people?”

“Falca I’m telling you I can beat down any youngster in this arena that is brave enough to face me.”

“Reeealllly?” I asked slowly as I placed my glass down.

I reeled back on my hind legs and stood up to quickly give my father a violent shove. His eyes widened and he scrambled to regain his balance but his back landed on the floor with a solid thud. The contents of his wine glass spilled onto the floor and father gave off an annoyed groan at the loss.

“You are twice my size and I just pushed you to the ground without even trying,” I said in a loud lecturing tone. “Any gladiator worth their salt is going to mop the floor with you and all you’ll do is just make a fool out of yourself.”

I expected him to continue arguing, but he just laid there on the floor and stared at his wine glass. He gave off a sad sigh and raised himself back onto his paws before picking up the wine glass to refill it. He tilted the bottle of Savvy into the glass but hardly a drop came out. Father sat back down on the ground and his wings drooped as his beak twisted into a miserable frown.

‘By the Ancestors, I don’t think I’ve seen him this sad in a long time. There is something else going on here.’

“Papa why are you so determined to fight out there?” I asked as I sat next to him.

He looked down at me and took in a deep breath before he let out a loud exhale.

“Watching Jack and Katy fight in the arena rekindled something in me that I haven’t felt in a long time. I wanted to recapture some of the feelings I felt when me and my brothers were young warriors fighting side by side against all the foes the world could throw at us. That family comradery, the adrenaline coursing through me in the heat of a battle, that feeling I got when an enemy tried to take my life and I showed them I was stronger when I cleaved them in two with Crimson Tide.” Father shook his head as he continued to explain. “Most of all I think I just miss the family comradery. Jack and Katy are really lucky to experience that feeling together. There is nothing like that pride you feel when you know that you have family at your side when you face your enemies.”

I smiled and stretched a wing out to comfort him.

“Uncle Nereus use to tell me stories of your fighting days together when he was teaching me politics on the Summer Island,” I said causing father to chuckle. “He told me how amazing you were when you used that ‘stupidly big sword’ against griffins in the air who should’ve been way faster than you. He said one griffin pissed himself in the air when he saw you coming at him like an arrow with Crimson Tide in your talons.”

Father’s frown was gone as he gave off a roaring laugh.

“I remember that! Bloody Ancestors I remember that poor bastard flew away so fast it looked like Cerberus himself was on his tail. Aaaahhh, good times.” Father said with a sigh “But I realize those good times are far in the past. You’re right, I shouldn’t be trying to relive the glory days at a time like this. Especially with this much alcohol in my system.”

Father groaned to himself and then after a while, he started to look into my eyes as if he was searching for something. It was eerie having to keep myself in eye contact with him and after a few moments, I was about to ask what he was doing until he spoke again.

“You are so much like your mother.”

I was stunned. He hasn’t talked about mother for years. Most of my memories of her were far too few as she had died giving birth to Hyde when I was 4 years old. Most of the memories I had of her were just warm feelings like the hugs she gave me when she was proud or the joy I felt when she flew me on her back. Some things have been forgotten because of time, but the one thing I remembered clearly was her voice. I remembered how she would sing to me and my siblings before we fell asleep in our beds and how her voice was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.

I even remembered how hard it was trying to sleep without hearing her songs anymore.

“You have her ability to command people’s attention. You can make people listen to common sense even when they try not to. You even have that drive that was infectious to people like me when I was young. Qualities like those made her a great leader, a great queen. If it wasn’t for her I would have been a poor excuse for a king.”

I didn’t know what to say. In the past every time I tried to question father about mother he would always give me short answers or would avoid the subject entirely. It always pained him to talk about her so I stopped, but now he was talking about her freely. Maybe if I stayed silent then maybe he would continue to talk about her.

Father rubbed his purple scarf between his talons for a while and his beak stretched into a smile. However, it was soon gone as if he had remembered something.

“Do you really want to be queen Falca?” He asked.

‘Dammit, I should have asked him questions while I had the chance. And what does he mean by that question? Of course I want to be queen!’

“Papa, being queen has been my dream since I was 10. However, I don’t think it matters anymore since I’ve lost most of my votes after my loss to the Aper Major.”

“Don’t be so sure about that, I still haven’t voted on who should be my successor. If I gave you my vote then that can still turn a lot of votes in your favor. You or any of your siblings still have a significant chance at ruling our House no matter the circumstances. Take me for instance, I never wanted to be king. Not once. But then I displayed years of exemplary military leadership and slew an immortal pirate queen. Suddenly, everyone was pointing their talons at me and said I should be king.”

He paused, and before he could continue, his beak twisted back into a frown. “What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t be too eager to have my job. Becoming the monarch of House Hialla is the largest responsibility our House can bestow and nearly nothing else in your life will matter anymore. You’ll barely have time for yourself as the needs of the House and its people always outweigh your own. You are 24 and are still very young Falca, you still have time to do things you’ll never be able to do as queen.”

“Like enrolling in Titan Arena matches when I’m drunk and slowly going senile?” I asked with a creeping smile.

“Exactly!”

I laughed uncontrollably at that. It felt like I was going to tip over from all the excessive joy but father thankfully reached an arm around my shoulders to hug me. I hugged him back tightly and I began to realize how much I missed moments like this. When I was younger, moments like this use to happen more frequently but then everything got so serious when I got older. I was always busy trying beat Takada to the throne to impress father and the House, and in consequence, I ended up distancing myself from him.

After I finally got control over myself, father spoke up again.

“Now I guess I must return to the Heartland Isle and get back to work. But first I should take a cold shower or two.”

Father slowly broke away from the hug and started to walk towards the door, but I snickered when I saw that he hadn’t realized that he was still half-dressed in his armor.

“Papa?”

“What?”

“Your armor.”

He looked down at himself and he laughed at the realization.

“Oops. Haha, wouldn’t this be a sight for the people.” He said as he got up to stand on his hind legs to display his armor. “Come! Come good people of the Shattered Isles. Come see your king in armor too small to fit his fat ass!”

I couldn’t help but laugh again.

……

“What do you think about the sports casino Katy? It’s got good games both for entertainment and gambling. There’s even a discount for food and tickets to sports games if you’re a Titan Arena gladiator!” Jack asked from across the table as he ate his ice cream.

“That’s a good one, but let’s put a pin in it for now,” I replied

Jack and I were eating ice cream in a little arena dinner while we read through brochures that listed off the hundreds of attractions the island offered. Some attractions caught my interest more than others. Like a griffin airshow that regularly had demonstrations daily and an amusement park that had over twenty different roller coasters. Then there were attractions that were more… peculiar than others.

More specifically the House of Selene that was practically a brothel-like temple. From the images and descriptions I read in the brochure, it described itself as a hotel with a diverse host of employees that could cater to a guest’s every sexual desire. It was like a temple because it paid homage to a griffin Ancestor called Selene who was like a goddess of hospitality, hearth, healing, and erotic instruction. It especially put an emphasis on erotic instruction, as every picture in the brochure had at least one hotel employee in rather lewd poses. I wasn’t surprised that Prince Thistle owned the establishment.

I, of course, didn’t want to go there with my brother along but I bookmarked it in my mind in case I was alone and felt curious. With the only humans I could reach being fellow Displaced far off in other universes, chances of ‘companionship’ with my own species were low and I would either have to experiment or go celibate for the rest of my life.

Back to the matter at hand, I continued to look for more attraction sites as I took a spoonful of my ice cream. After a while, I found something that was absolutely perfect.

“Jack, Jack lookie here!” I said as I turned my brochure over for him to see.

“The Jade Park?” He asked confused.

“Yep, its terrain and vegetation range from flat grassy swards and shady glens to steep, rocky ravines. Great for hiking. There is also a zoo, an ice-skating rink, three small lakes, an open-air theatre, a band shell, many athletic playing fields and children’s playgrounds.”

“Okay that sounds fun, but are you sure that is where you want to go out of all of our options?”

“Think about it Jack.” I said while pressing my index finger to my temple. “You remember the Griffonstone episode when they showed what Gilda looked like as a little cub. She was so adorable! Now imagine dozens of little griffins cubs like Gilda playing tag or hide-and-seek in the park’s playgrounds.”

Jack’s eyes widened.

“Oh my God. That is potentially the most adorable thing we could ever see.” He said as he closed his brochure.

“I know right?!”

Confident on where we wanted to go, Jack and I got out of our seats to leave the diner. However, just as we were about to leave Prince Thistle and another griffin, a small little fella, met us at the door. The new griffin had the same feathers as Falca and with the way he avoided eye contact with us I wondered if he was shy or was just weirded out that I only had one eye.

“Jack, Katy! Just the aliens we were looking for. This is my little brother Prince Hyde, but Jack already knows him. Introduce yourself to Katy little brother.” Thistle implored.

“Ummm, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Hyde, but uhhh… Thistle already told you that. Your-,” He paused as he strangely kept looking over at Jack then back to me. “Your fight in the Royale near the end was amazing to watch.”

“Aww shucks. Thanks little dude,” I said with a hand on my hip.

He nodded his head and tried to continue the conversation, but it looked like he was having trouble finding the words. After a few awkward moments of near silent mumblings, Thistle thankfully came to his brother’s rescue.

“Hyde here wanted to talk to Jack about something.”

“I-I did yes,” Hyde replied quickly.

‘Goodness, he’s shaking like a leaf, what could possibly be the problem?”

“Jack I need to tell you that-,” Hyde had to stop to inhale. “I need to tell you that I am sorry for what I did to you. I’m sorry that I made you go through the horrible process of another transformation, and I’m sorry that I made you red. I’m sorry for being such an idiot. I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you back your original face. I’m sorry that I-”

“Whoa there Hyde stop its okay,” Jack said as he bent down to stop Hyde before he could continue his flood of apologies.

I felt like I needed some context here, but I’m sure Jack will fill me in later.

“It was an accident Hyde. There was no way we could’ve predicted that this could happen.” Jack continued as he pointed to his body.

“Maybe I could have predicted it, I don’t know. Maybe if I had done some tests on you before we used the potion, maybe you wouldn’t look like that.” Hyde argued as he looked away from Jack.

“Hyde look at me. It’s ookaay. I’m fine with what’s happened to me, I’ve moved on.”

Hyde looked back at Jack, slowly, and it looked like he was trying to find something in Jack’s eyes. Dishonesty maybe? Did he want Jack to me angry at him? He started to shake less and spoke again with a little more confidence in his voice.

“Y-You sure you’re not angry with me?”

“Positive,” Jack replied.

“I uhhh… okay,” Hyde said with a hesitant chuckle

“Okay,” Jack said chuckling along with him.

“See Hyde, Falca was right, you had nothing to worry about. Now you have peace of mind AND a lead on your little treasure hunt. Today is a good day for my little brother!” Thistle said gleefully while slinging a forearm across Hyde’s shoulders.

“Treasure hunt?” I asked confused as Jack stood up straight.

“Hyde here asked me months ago to help him search for an ancient ship that he believes lies sunken underneath the sea. I had some old contacts in Griffonstone who dug up some old ship records at the library there, and in them, I found what may be the last course of the ship that belonged to Sagacious Solon before it was lost at sea to a storm.” Thistle explained before Hyde stepped in to clarify further.

“I’m a specialist in the study of ancient arcane knowledge and artifacts. I know a thing or two about other fields of magic but ancient magic is where I really shine. Sagacious Solon was a savant when it came to harnessing magic and was the griffin equivalent of Starswil the Bearded in ancient times. He discovered and revolutionized methods that gave any species the tools they needed to manipulate magic just as easily as any unicorn’s horn. He created the first magic wand in existence, studied alchemy from wisemares in the zebra lands, learned ancient runes from Starswil himself, and gathered any magical knowledge available at the time from pretty much everywhere his ship could take him.”

“And you believe you can find his old ship with the records Thistle found?” Jack asked.

“I think I can but it’ll probably take me months to set up a proper expedition. Even if we have records of the ship’s route it will still take a while to find it with repetitive sonar spells. Not to mention that it’ll take half a year to extract the ship from beneath the sea. Magic and technology may have come a long way but this is going to be an expensive venture if I can convince the archeology department to give my expedition the go ahead.”

I started to drone Hyde out as he and Jack discussed more on the topic of the sunken ship. While they were talking I began to realize that Jack and I could have the skills needed to help Hyde out immensely. I was a walking fish who could breathe underwater and Jack had Force powers that allowed him to sense things from miles away.

The more I thought about it, the more I was attracted to the idea of helping this little guy find his ancient ship. He’s obviously a friend of Jack’s and any friend of my brother is a friend of mine. Also, this sounded like a REAL adventure. Like something you would see in an mlp Daring Doo episode. After tasting adventure in the Titan Arena, I was more than hungry for more. With my aquatic attributes and superhuman strength along with Jack’s Force powers, we could easily retrieve Hyde’s ship for him and be back in time to enjoy the rest of my pardon here on the island before I have to go back to Equestria. This actually could be pretty fun.

“We could find that ship for you easily,” I said interrupting Jack and Hyde’s conversation.

“I-uh, what do you mean you could help?” Hyde asked, his interest clearly peaked.

“Jack’s powers could find that ship of yours easily,” I said while patting my little bro on the back. “A Force-user’s senses allow them to sense practically anything if they are well trained enough. Finding an old ship at the bottom of the sea is nothing to people who can sense other people lightyears away across an entire galaxy.”

The princes were baffled after I explained what Jack could do.

“Is that true? Could you actually find the ship if you wanted?” Hyde asked excitedly.

“In theory yes,” Jack answered after a moment of thought. “Anything touched by the Force can be sensed by a Jedi or Sith and since the Force flows through everything I could definitely sense an old ship at the bottom of the sea.”

Jack closed his eyes to focus. “Just to show how potent my senses are, I can tell that a griffin from across the arena is currently having her 4th mug of beer. I can even sense a gladiator floors beneath us in the Pit whose sword is cutting through the air as he practices before his fight. Also in the Pit, there is… oh, there is a cragadile down in the beast cages, cage A:20, who has a loose stone scale irritating his backside.”

“I should probably have the beastmaster take care of that. Thanks for the catch darling.” Thistle said.

“That is incredible!” Hyde exclaimed.

“And with my super strength and ability to breathe underwater, I could lift that ship back to the Isles with a little help from Jack’s telekinesis.” I proudly said while jabbing a thumb at my chest.

“Wait are you sure you want to do this now Katy? I thought you wanted to go to the Jade Park today. Remember, cute little griffin cubs?” Jack reminded.

‘Oh right I forgot! Cute adorable griffin cubs with wittle wings, wittle paws, and big eyes that you just want to melt into. Ahhh, what do I do? Adventure or cuteness? Adventure or cuteness? Adventure orrrrrrrr…?”

“I can’t decide Jack what do you think we should do?”

Jack took a moment to think about it.

“Why don’t we flip a coin?” He asked with a shrug.

“That sounds okay. Let’s leave the decision to chance.”

Jack took a bit from a pocket in his lower robes and showed me the coin.

“Heads, we go help Hyde retrieve his ship from beneath the sea. Tails, we go to the Jade Park and get the sunken ship later.”

With a flick of his thumb, the bit flew through the air and landed back on the palm of his hand. He extended his arm to show everyone the result.

Heads

“Well looks like we are going on an adventure Jack!” I said both excited and disappointed at the same time.

“Oh thank you! Thank you both so much!” Hyde said as he hopped up to give me and Jack a big hug.

“Well if you two are going are going to help my brother with this, then you’ll need a vessel for the seas. Lucky for you, I own 5 different yachts and my little sister Falca happens to be quite an accomplished sailor.” Thistle said while caressing his grinning beak.

16) The First Storm (Part 1)

Tra la la. The waters are wild today. That's bad luck...

The River Person, Undertale

HK-55’s small holographic projection saluted to me from the holo-communicator resting in my hand as I walked along the private docks of the Isle of Gaiety. The assassin droid and 2V-R8 had just returned to the Fury on my orders and readily accepted their new orders as Katy and I prepared for our treasure hunt among the seas.

“Do you have the sea routes from Prince Hyde’s maps calculated onto the Fury’s navigation computer?” I asked the droid.

“Confirmation: Affirmative master. The protocol droid is running a diagnostic on the scanners right now in preparation for finding this primitive sunken transport. Should our scanners come across anything remotely similar in composition to this ‘treasure ship’ on the ocean floor, we will notify you immediately.”

“Excellent,” I approved as I passed by a few island tourists who stopped to stare at me. “When you find us a possible site, we’ll come in on Prince Thistle’s yacht to confirm the ship’s identity with my Force senses.”

“Query: Master, how do you plan to keep up with us in that primitive little sea craft? I fail to see its necessity.”

“Prince Hyde believes that the ship’s previous owner may have left magical traps behind to protect his ship in case anyone ever tried to take his research. Apparently, this Sagacious Solon was adamant in learning the arcane knowledge of others but wasn’t too keen to share his own personal research, however. Prince Hyde will require a large source of magical power to disarm these traps and Prince Thistle’s ship has this gigantic crystal that acts as a powerful magical battery of some sort.” I answered before giving a small pause. “I can only speculate as to how we will keep up with the Fury but Thistle assures me that I don’t need to worry and that his yacht will suit our needs perfectly. Speaking of which, Katy and I should be arriving at Thistle’s private boathouse in about 10 minutes or less.”

“Statement: Very good master. I will notify you when the Fury departs from the Hiallan royal castle.”

I clicked the holo-communicator off and placed it in a pocket in my lower robes. Content that my droids knew what they were doing I continued to walk along the docks and enjoyed the breeze of salty sea air that blew along the docks. Water hummed and crashed against the docks in calm little waves that charmed my ears and Celestia’s gorgeous sun radiated a pleasant warmth upon my skin from the clear blue skies. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I was blissfully overjoyed to spend it with family and friends on a little adventure. I inhaled again another generous amount of pleasant sea air until, all of a sudden, I felt a disturbance in the Force.

This disturbance was close and it was powerful. I could feel it analyzing my every step.

I continued my stride so as to not spook whatever was watching me but slowed down a little nonetheless. The disturbance was odd, it emitted emotions that led me to believe it was curious and excited, but there was some other emotion hidden deep down inside it. I reached out as subtlety as I could with the Force to find out what it was that had taken an interest in me but was taken aback by what I found. It was formless, utterly alien, nothing about it made sense. If I had to describe its form, it felt as if my Force senses were passing through a chaotic cloud of strange gas. It changed and shifted its form nonstop and it was next to impossible to imagine what it physically looked like.

‘It’s possible that it is trying to hide its true form from me.’ I hypothesized. ‘However, what has caused it to reveal its presence?’

I dug deeper into the foreign entity with my more empathic Force senses to find its deeper emotions but was careful in my approach. The being held back an emotion that it took care to restrain, an emotion that was far too familiar to me… rage. Assuming the entity to be a threat, my hand instinctively reached for the hilt of my lightsaber, but that turned out to be a mistake. Because the foreign entity immediately hid itself completely from my senses and I softly cursed as I turned around abruptly to find it physically with my eyes.

There was nothing there, just a nice sunny dock with workers and tourists going about their business as if nothing was wrong. I stood there probably for around a minute and sighed as I realized that the foreign entity had likely fled before I could spot it.

‘Damnit, I shouldn’t have reacted to the entity’s rage. What was that thing?’ I silently pondered. ‘Might be a long shot, but maybe Katy saw something… wait, where did she go?’

I continued to look around for my wayward sister and gave off a small sigh of relief when I found her a dozen meters away kneeling down in front of a cute little female griffin cub with her family. I quickly deduced why Katy had stopped for the cub and smiled when I saw her writing her name down on a wooden toy sword with a quill. Looks like Katy had found a fan.

As I walked over to join my sister, I had to pause as my heart nearly stopped when I heard a cute little voice coming from the cute little cub.

“Do you think I could be as strong as you are when I grow up Miss Undyne or uh… Miss Katy?” The little griffin asked.

Katy chuckled a little before she answered. “Call me whatever you want kid, and if you eat healthy and keep yourself determined, I bet you could be the strongest griffin on the entire island. Stronger than me even, but why do you want to be strong?” Katy asked as she handed the quill and toy sword back to the little cub.

“I want to join the Royal Navy! So if I want to join, I gotta be big like mama and papa and be strong like you!” The cub excitedly explained as she looked down at her autographed sword.

“That’s as good a goal as any sweetheart,” Katy said with a smile as she reached down to ruffle the feathers on the cub’s head.

When I finally approached the little griffin noticed my long shadow and gasped when she looked up to see that it was me.

“Eeeeeee! It’s the Warden! It’s Lord Wrath! Mamma, papa look!” The cub exclaimed as she pointed up at me.

“We see him little dove.” The mother answered with a soft laugh.

“Do you want his autograph too?” Katy asked as she beckoned me to come closer.

“Oh uhhh, please Mr. Wrath?” The cub asked as she slowly offered me her toy.

“Of course, how could I refuse?” I answered.

Instead of gripping the sword with my hand I used the Force instead to telekinetically write my name down upon the sword with the quill. The quill had a hidden ink fountain within its feather and it more than provided the ink that I required. Katy had written…

To Siri,

Stay strong and stay determined.

Sincerely, Undyne

Now knowing the cub’s name I wrote…

To Siri,

Keep family close and remember to be curious.

Best regards, Lord Wrath

Little Siri squeed even louder as I wrote the autograph with only my telekinesis. Eventually, she quieted down after her toy levitated back into her talons but she still bounced around while fluttering her little wings. I didn’t mind the noise, it was just too adorable. After a few more moments of small talk with the wide-eyed little cub, I managed to pull Katy away from our adorable little fan before we got too absorbed in the conversation and we continued on our way. Thistle and Hyde were still waiting for us and I didn’t want the royal siblings to send out a search party.

……

“Aaaahhh, look at that face Jack,” Katy said as she turned her head around to look back at our fan. “Maybe we should have gone to the Jade Park instead, we could’ve seen more cute little cubs like Siri. Is it too late to change our minds? Gaaahhh wait, we shouldn’t, we said we would help your friend Hyde and we shouldn’t go back on our word.”

“Indeed we shouldn’t,” I agreed, before chuckling in amusement. “You really loved that, didn’t you? Having that little girl look up to like that, seeing her happy just to have met you.”

Through my Force empathic senses, I could see that Katy was practically glowing with jubilant energy. In fact, it was practically contagious, it even made me want kick up my feet and skip merrily while whistling a happy tune.

“Of course I loved that! Didn’t you? She was so giddy when she saw you walking up beside me. Oh god, it felt like my heart was going to melt if I kept looking at her adorable little face.”

“I enjoyed it too yes, but signing that little girl’s toy sword seems to have affected you more than it has me,” I stated while examining Katy with an intrigued eye. “I feel pride and joy after our meeting with little Siri, but you look as if you’ve just gone through the happiest moment of your entire life. What was so different between signing this one’s autograph, and the hundreds of other autographs we had to sign the other day?”

Katy’s jubilant energy died down a little so she could think. After twirling her hair between her fingers for a few moments she finally had an answer.

“I think it was just her eyes. When I looked into her eyes I saw a little kid looking up at her hero. Someone to believe in and look up to. I was a little scared, a little proud, but overall just really, really happy. I feel like this is what the real Undyne should be feeling. Like a true heroine and inspiring people to become greater. It all fills me with… Determination, to put it bluntly.”

I smiled happily after hearing Katy’s explanation and reached an arm around her shoulders so I could hug her as we were walking. I felt happier just seeing her being happy. Sadly I had to spoil the mood by warning Katy what I sensed just a while ago. It had to be done, something was watching Katy and me with a silent rage and my sister needed to be warned of the possible danger.

“Katy before we reach Thistle and Hyde, I need to warn you about something…”

……

When we finally reached our destination, a large boathouse secluded from the rest of the docks, I had to admit that Thistle’s small fleet of yachts was quite impressive. The hull and sails from each sea craft looked as if they were constructed from the hands, or in this case talons, of masterful artisans who spent countless hours sewing every piece of canvas or carving each individual wooden board. House Hialla’s crest of a fierce twinkling Aper Major emblazoned on a shield was stitched onto each sail of the ships with varying colors such as crimson red, royal blue, and pure white acting as a background. The ship currently occupied by the royal Hiallan siblings was vastly different from the rest, however. A deflated blimp nearly as wide as the ship rested on the main masts projecting from the ship’s deck while closed sails were rigged onto masts projecting 45° upwards from the starboard and port sides. Coils of rope lined every mast along with peculiar mystic lamps that emitted a soft blue glow that lit up both the ship and the ships surrounding the craft. Carved into the ship’s starboard bow were golden letters that identified the ship as ‘The Extravagant’.

The Extravagant’s current occupants were currently busy with a myriad of tasks. Thistle was busy checking the lamps and it seemed he had switched outfits again in preparation for this little adventure. A black wide-brimmed hat plumed with a large purple feather rested on the prince’s head with a dark purple cape shrouding the majority of his body. Thistle’s hippogriff bodyguards, the Twin Serpents, flew from corner to corner of the ship checking and tightening the rigging while pausing momentarily to nod at Katy and me as we approached. Hyde was hunched over maps on a table at the ship’s raised aft and his cleanly appearance told me that he must have taken a bath before he came aboard. Strangely, however, I couldn’t seem to locate Falca.

Before I could dive into my Force senses to locate her, I saw an obscured female griffin sprint on top of the blimp and slid quickly down to the deck while holding onto a thickly braided rope. Smoke emanated from the friction between the griffin’s talons and the rope and before the griffin reached the bottom she swung off the rope with a harsh snap and glided the rest of the way down on familiar wings. After landing on the ship’s railing like an acrobat with avian talons and feline claws gripping the wood, I immediately recognized the griffin as Falca but was astonished by what she wore.

She wore a thin black bandana above her eyes and her torso was adorned with an open coffee brown polyester jacket with golden silken braids resting on her shoulders. Her forelegs and hind legs were covered in nylon hosiery and strapped to a thigh on each of her hind legs was a miniature crossbow on her right leg and a quiver full of blots on her left leg. With her tail swinging wildly behind her and a confident smile on her beak, Falca gazed at both Katy and me with dignified eyes that sent a shiver down my spine. Falca looked both fierce and charming all at the same time. She looked like the perfect balance between intimidation and invitation in that outfit.

‘She looked beautiful before, but now she looks… I want to say… sexy?’ I thought as impure thoughts peaked the corners of my mind.

“Howdy sailor!” Katy greeted Falca, thankfully breaking my concentration before I could entertain my thoughts any further.

Chuckling at Katy’s greeting, Falca nodded her head in Katy’s direction. “Hello Katy,” then nodded her head towards me, “Hello Jack.”

“Hi Falca!” I said probably too enthusiastically. Cursing to myself silently, I quickly followed my greeting with a question. “Permission to come aboard?”

“Permission granted,” Falca said before acrobatically backflipping off the railing and onto the ship’s deck to kick out a boarding plank for Katy and me.

After walking onto the ship’s deck Thistle stopped what he was doing to come over and greet us. “Darlings welcome aboard The Extravagant! Aaahh, it’s been too long since I’ve set sail on this wondrous little ship. I think it’s been two years since its bow has looked upon the sea’s horizon.”

“So why are we taking this one then instead of the other ships?” Katy asked Thistle out of curiosity before pointing towards another ship along the docks with House Hialla’s crest emblazoned on its crimson sails. “Why not take that one instead? It looks bigger than all the other ships.”

Thistle looked towards the ship Katy was pointing and laughed softly. “Oh, darling you don’t want to take that ship. I have my weekly orgies on that vessel.”

“....”

Everyone was silent after Thistle’s statement and the silence was only broken when Falca awkwardly coughed into her right talons.

“Orgies?” Katy asked

“Weekly?” I asked both surprised and kind of impressed.

“Of course.,” Thistle said looking a little hurt. “What kind of self-respecting, insanely rich griffin prince doesn’t have orgies?”

“I don’t,” Hyde commented from up on the ship’s aft while still looking at his maps.

“Well, you’re the exception little brother because you’re special!” Thistle replied gleefully earning a ‘Go to Tartarus’ from Hyde. Turning his attention back to us, Thistle continued to explain why we were taking The Extravagant.

“Other than the magical battery we’ll need underneath the deck, this ship is the most utilitarian out of all of my yachts. With the blimp on top, it can travel both in the air and on the sea and were it armed with defenses you could almost classify this ship as a Hiallan battle frigate. Instead, it trades its claws for mobility and the fastest traveling mechanism in the known world. With a few pleasant modifications I added personally to the ship, it is the perfect vessel for a little adventuring.”

My holo-communicator beeped in my pocket after Thistle’s explanation and I reached into my lower robes to bring it out for everyone to see. I accepted the call with a click of a button and HK-55’s holographic form had been replaced with 2V-R8’s.

“Master! The HK unit has taken the Fury’s helm and we have begun to depart from the Shattered Isles! We will begin deep-sea scanning momentarily.”

“Very good, update me when you find a possible I.D on the ship we’re looking for. Our ship will be departing soon.” I replied before ending the droid’s transmission.

“So,” I said turning my attention back to Thistle. “You said that I wouldn’t have to worry about your ship keeping up with the Fury. I assume it’s because of this traveling mechanism you talked about?”

“Indeed it is, come I’ll show you both what it is as Falca gets us underway. Falca, I leave you in command.” Thistle said as he turned to direct us below the deck.

“Wait, Falca is going to move this ship on her own?” I questioned as I turned my gaze towards Falca. Falca had opened her beak to answer but Thistle had answered first.

“Don’t worry my dear sister will have my lovely Serpents to act as decktalons to assist her. If they are highly competent, The Extravagant only requires a skeleton crew of 3 at a bare minimum. Falca was a Lieutenant Commander aboard a royal Hiallan ship for most of her military career.”

“I can speak for myself Thistle,” Falca said giving her elder brother a short glare. “But he’s right, as a Lieutenant Commander I was trained as a ship’s helmsman, boatswain, and was even trained as a cannoneer. I can handle this gaudy little dingy.”

“Gaudy!? DINGY! Gahhh,” Thistle exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, his feathers poofing up slightly. “My own sister wounds me deeply with her words! I can’t stand her presence at the moment. Hmph!”

Thistle turned away from us and proceeded to head below deck with his beak held high in the air, his tail swinging angrily behind him. It was all over-exaggerated and quite amusing to watch if I was being honest. My lips curled into a smile and I could hear both Katy and Falca laughing at my sides. Falca turned to me after watching her brother stomp off and stared up at me with her golden irises.

“Well I better get to it and you guys should see what Thistle has down there. The Extravagant’s traveling mechanism is truly the only remarkable thing about this ship. See you later Jack.” Falca said as she walked off to untie the ropes that held The Extravagant to the docks. As she was walking off I couldn’t help but admire her appearance once more.

‘God she looked good in that outfit.’

……

Below deck, the wood in The Extravagant’s walls was made from a dark mahogany wood and several ornate carvings were carved into each wall we passed. We passed several closed doors that appeared to be the ship’s crew quarters and as we passed them we heard a loud retching sound coming from behind the last door. Confused as to who else could be on this ship I used my Force senses to find out who it was and found out it was an exhausted Vigilant Star who appeared to be suffering from a debilitating hangover. He was hunched over a toilet and he was breathing heavily as small traces of adrenaline flowed through his system trying to balance out the pain he felt in his gut.

“What happened to Vigilant Star?” I asked paused in front of the door to his room.

“Wait that’s Vigilant in there?” Katy asked in surprise. “Oh shit, we never saw him after we finished the Royale. Damnit why do I keep forgetting about him?”

After Katy said that Vigilant Star puked again into the toilet making an even more wretched sound than before. The poor unicorn sounded like he was going to puke his whole stomach out.

“While you two were fighting in the Royale yesterday, Sergeant Star and my father delighted themselves on father’s favorite wine. My father insisted that they share a drink and after 3 bottles the poor stallion could hardly keep himself in his seat. Soon after passing out I took the liberty of taking care of Sergeant Star so you two wouldn’t have to worry. He’ll be fine I assure you, a few hours of rest and a nice sea breeze are all that he needs. It always does wonders for me during a hangover.” Thistle said while gazing off as if revisiting old memories.

After Vigilant Star stopped puking again, Katy hesitantly walked up to the door and knocked while leaning her fin/ear to the wood.

“Hey Vigilant it’s me, you going to be okay in there?”

“Undyne? Yeah… I’ll be fine… just need one more hour I-,” but Vigilant was cut off as I sensed that more bile had crept up to the back of his throat and he hugged the toilet to puke again.

“Okay, uuuhhhh, we’ll be around the ship if you need anything. Take care okay.” Katy said as she leaned away from the door.

“Okay…thanks.”

As the three of us continued on our way my Force enhanced hearing heard Vigilant Star whisper something to himself behind the door.

“How could Grinnail drink so much of that wine?! He was guzzling that stuff down like it was freaking tap water. Do griffins have two livers or something? Oh sweet Celestia –”

……

The three of us entered a large curved room that had to have taken up most of the lower bow of the ship. The crystal that was acting as Hyde’s magical battery surprised me by being nearly twice my size with the coloration of a dark blue sapphire. It was held to the deck by chains with arcane symbols etched into them and a plethora of lights that acted like stars circled within the gem’s center. Tendrils of azure magic circled around the crystal in lethargic movements and tethered to the very back of the crystal was another chain that connected the crystal to a small hole leading to the front deck of The Extravagant.

In the center of the room and directly in front of the crystal was a small pedestal that barely came up to my knee but was perfectly accessible for a griffin. A dial set up with 2 sets of 4 numerical slots rested on top of the pedestal with a main central dial having the 4 cardinal directions lining the dial’s circumference. The pedestal seemed entirely made out of bronze and as Thistle approached it I suddenly felt an intense release of powerful Force energy coming from the crystal.

The Force was strong within the crystal. Its power felt concentrated and refined as I felt it move like a current within the crystal in softly controlled waves through the chains that bound the crystal to the floor. Examining the crystal in deeper detail I found ambient traces of unshapen Force energy being taken within the crystal to grow its already substantial pool of power. At an atomic level, the crystal’s lattice structure was fluid and unsymmetrical, a near impossibility considering a crystal’s matter requires perfect proportions and balance to exist, but the excess Force energy the crystal took within itself kept the structure unbelievably from falling apart. It was like it was alive, a beautiful symbiosis between chaotic matter and Force energy.

Visually, the crystal may have looked like just an oversized sapphire, but after examining its composition it was obvious that this crystal was something never seen before by human science or human beings in general. Like seemingly everything in this world, something that should have been impossible was standing right before us.

‘It’s moments like these where I absolutely love this world,’ I thought as a grin formed on my face.

“Jack…Katy… what you are looking at is one of the most innovative and expensive pieces of magical engineering.” Thistle said as he extended his wings giving him the appearance of a showman. “It is called an Ether crystal and there are only 7 of them in the entire world. Completely artificial in nature, this crystal can store more magic within itself than any naturally created gemstone in all of Eques.”

“It’s beautiful,” Katy said with awe in her voice.

“It’s fascinating,” I said as I walked up to crystal, only stopping when I was barely a meter away. “You said there are only seven of these Ether crystals, I assume they are very difficult to create then?”

“Indeed,” Thistle answered with a nod. “The materials needed to create Ether crystals are beyond rare and the process in creating them requires experienced enchanters along with 5 years of vigilance and patience. With their abundant resources, the arcane universities in Equestria claim ownership over 4 of the crystals, 1 in the Minotaur Dominion, and House Hialla can boast claim over the final two.”

Thistle caressed the bronzed pedestal in front of him with care and his eyes turned soft and distant as he continued to speak. “Years ago when I was a much younger prince and was just beginning to build my fortunes, I had witnessed the power of Ether crystals when I had made a journey to the College of Mystics on the Nether Isle. I saw the mages there use their Ether crystal to store power and fuel their rituals and spells to great effect. They saw their crystal as only a means to progress their study of magic, but I saw something more in the crystal.”

Arcane energy thrummed inside the rings on Thistle’s talons and flowed into the pedestal causing a reaction in the Ether crystal and the chains surrounding it. Magic then bathed the room in a soft blue glow causing the mahogany walls to become slightly transparent and displayed to us the outside surroundings of The Extravagant. We saw Falca untying the last rope binding the ship to the docks and she flew up back onto the ship and out of sight to direct the ship’s course. The ship rocked slightly side-to-side as it made its way slowly to the open sea and away from the Isle of Gaiety.

“I saw in the crystal the means to make House Hialla the pinnacle of its specialties. Griffins of our House have always prided ourselves as masterful sea-faring merchants, the most accomplished when it comes to building ships, and as sailors of the largest naval fleet in all of Eques. With Ether crystals, our mastery over the air and sea can turn into outright dominance if we give ourselves the greatest means of magical transportation.” Thistle continued as we sailed further into the sea.

Thistle’s presentation was interrupted however when my holo-communicator beeped again. With the click of a button, 2V-R8’s holographic form appeared again and he brought with him an update on the Fury’s search.

“Master we have already found a possible I.D on the ship.”

Before I could respond Thistle had already spoken.

“Excellent, tell me the coordinates and I will show you what I mean by my words.”

Complying with his request I had 2V-R8 give him the coordinates of the possible location and Thistle got to work turning the dials on top of the pedestal. Latitude and longitude coordinates were set in and Thistle’s ring with the blue sapphire, the one that allowed him to create portals, glowed slightly as a hidden slot suddenly revealed itself on the center of the pedestal. The hidden slot was small and nearly as wide as the ring’s gemstone and etched around the slot’s edges were miniscule arcane runes. Thistle raised his talons and kept the sapphire ring just an inch away from the slot.

“This mechanism was the first and most significant financial investment I had ever made. A fortune and years of preparation with countless mages had made it a reality. Currently, it is far too costly to make Ether crystals economically practical as of yet, but once decades pass and our knowledge of magic and technology progresses to the point where the creation of such crystals are trivial, this investment will lead to the dawn of a new age of transportation.” Thistle paused as he pressed his ring into the slot and the magic within the Ether crystal hummed vibrantly. “Whether I become King of my House or the richest griffin in the entire known world, this will be my greatest legacy.”

Magic spewed from the crystal and into the chains which directed that magic directly to the tip of the bowsprit of the ship. The magic then left the bowsprit in the form of a bolt of arcane energy and shot off like a bullet towards the sea. The arcane bolt stopped a respectable distance away from The Extravagant and widened itself into a colossal sapphire portal similar to the smaller portals Thistle had created with just his ring. Our ship approached the portal with no hesitation and once we reached the other side I looked around through the room’s lightly transparent walls to see that the Isle of Gaiety was nowhere in sight anymore.

“We’ll need a map to confirm it, but if I remember my sea cartography well enough then the Ether Crystal just gave my teleportation ring enough power to transport us over 600 kilometers in just an instant. A trivial test of the distances it can reach,” Thistle said with the widest smile I ever seen on his beak. “With this mechanism, no corner of the world is out of this ship’s reach.”

“Falca could you be a sweetheart and turn the ship 90° starboard? I hate having the sun in my eyes as I cook.” My elder brother asked in an intolerably sweetly tone as I controlled the helm of his ship.

“Why of course Thistle, anything for you,” I replied sarcastically. “Would you like me to give you a back and wing massage too while I’m at it? Should I also pluck some of my feathers and stitch you up a feather pillow?”

“Oh if you could that would be just fantastic! You’re such a good little sister.” Thistle said, replying to me in kind with sarcasm dripping from that sweet tone. I cursed to myself as I unwittingly made him sound even more intolerable. Despite my irritation, I complied with Thistle’s request and gestured for the Serpents to turn the sails so I could maneuver the ship.

“Thank you Falca,” Thistle said as he pressed a freshly cleaned fish to the grill he had brought up from the kitchen below deck. His tone returned to normal after he had gotten what he wanted.

I loved my brother but sometimes I just wanted to hold him over the edge of a tall tower by his tail with his wings tied. However, I couldn’t get too mad as he was making everyone lunch for the afternoon. He could’ve spent this entire trip just lounging around letting everyone do all the work, but he got up and dusted off his culinary skills after Katy caught some fish from one of her trips swimming underwater.

It was noon and after teleporting to 3 different areas of the Cerulean Sea and finding three sunken wrecks that couldn’t belong to the late Sagacious Salon, our small adventure to find sunken treasure had turned into a small relaxation cruise. For the griffins on board, my brothers and I were kept busy with tasks we enjoyed. Thistle was cooking up a meal that smelled more enticing with each second the grill’s aroma mingled with the sea breeze. Hyde was still hunched over his maps, excitement still emanating from him even after we had come up with 3 misidentifications.

‘I hope he doesn’t get too crushed if we don’t find the ship. But even if we do find the ship, it’s more than possible that whatever Hyde hopes to find could be far gone by now. Sagacious Salon may have been a great mage but even preservation spells created by him could’ve faltered if his ship has been submerged underneath the weight of the sea for centuries.’ I considered.

However, despite my suspicions, I was still contently happy during the whole trip. It’s been years since I’ve directed the helm of a ship and it surprised me how easy it all came back to me. My muscle memory into tying and untying knots was still finely tuned and my innate griffin instincts in judging wind patterns allowed me to trim the sails properly for the most effective speed. It all made me feel like I was 18 again and sailing the sea again with my fellow sailors. I even brought the book Jack gave to me as a gift so I could do some light reading when we reached an even current.

In fact, I was about to reach for my book again until I saw Katy come bursting out of water and back onto the deck of the ship. Clad in only her undergarments, she stood pompously on top of the deck with a humungous wahoo fish gripped tightly into her maw of sharp teeth. Despite it being hidden behind a fish I could still see the proud grin that was undoubtedly on her face.

“Mmhmmphf!! Ivff comffphh beffinling gifffs!” Katy said indecipherably through the fish in her mouth. After everyone gave her a weird look she gripped the wahoo by its tail and held it in the air by her side before speaking again. “I’ve come bearing gifts! Behold the bounty of my hunt!”

“Oh, it looks utterly delicious darling!” Thistle congratulated as he broke himself away from his grill to admire Katy’s catch. “With this, I can make a bountiful platter for us all. How did you find such a monster of the sea? These things are difficult for even sharks to catch.”

“Well, I’m not one to brag…” Katy drawled out, obviously enjoying having her ego stroked. “But I’m pretty sure I can go up to 100 kilometers per hour when I’m underwater. Maybe even faster than that.”

“Ohhh myyyy,” Thistle exclaimed impressed.

Thistle offered his talons and Katy handed him the wahoo so he could descale and clean it. Still dripping wet with water, Katy dried herself off with a towel offered by Jack and walked over to a sunbathing chair that was also brought up from below deck. After stretching her nearly naked form over the chair she locked her hands behind her head to enjoy the heat from the sun while being cooled off by the gentle breeze offered by the sea.

‘We certainly won’t go hungry on this trip.’ I thought as I looked down at Katy. Ever since I met her at Ponyville, Jack’s sister was really starting to grow on me. She was friendly to a fault, a little bit odd to be sure, but still pretty welcoming. Her feats of power and strength were impressive when I witnessed them in the Titan Arena and that enduring determination I see her carry around her was something to be admired. If she was a griffin I had no doubt she would have been one of the most popular bachelorettes in all of the Shattered Isles. Probably even more popular than me.

Tearing my gaze away from her and over to her brother, I found that Jack had gone back to his meditations and was still perusing the sea with his powers in order to find Sagacious Salon’s ship. He was calm and amazingly still even as the currents of the Cerulean Sea rocked The Extravagant slightly from side to side. His tranquil breathing lifted his bare chest up and down in a peculiarly enthralling rhythm and I couldn’t help but be thankful that his vacation attire didn’t come with anything to cover his torso. His upper build was on full display for the world to see and I enjoyed having it that way. It made me wonder what it would feel like to grope those muscles between my talons, to nuzzle my head between his pecs and listen for his heartbeat, to feel those powerful arms slowly encircle my body and…

‘Damn it, what in Tartarus am I doing?!!!’ I thought as I shook my head to tear my gaze away from Jack.Judging us to be on a calm course, I locked the helm into place and walked away to the very back of the stern to gaze out at the sea so I could gather my thoughts.

‘What am I? A teenager going through her first heat cycle?!! Why can’t I get a grip on these feelings?’ I questioned to myself as I lightly banged my head onto the ship railing hoping that no one would notice. Ever since I witnessed Jack covered in sweat while he was training on that one curious day, alluring thoughts of his physique have plagued my mind. They would come and go at random and they started to get worse the more I saw Jack out of his armor. Then it got infinitely worse when we all had that awkward conversation in the Titan Arena’s Pens about just how naked Jack and Katy were without their clothes.

After saving my life and going through a few intimate moments with the alien, I thought it was about time that I seriously consider what I want my relationship with Jack to be in the future. Do I continue to consider him as a friend or do I reach out for something more? To decide this I think it would be best if I made a list of pros and cons then decide from there.

Pro: Interspecies relationships have been said to be exciting and fun. Different cultures and different bodies to explore can provide something new to the relationship experience if both parties are interested.

Con: Interspecies relationships are also said to be the most complicated. Different bodies can lead to an overabundance of awkward moments and some cultures definitely do not mix well together. This was further complicated by the fact that Jack was the most alien out of every intelligent species in all of Eques.

Pro: Jack has a kind heart. While it can be an attractive trait, most griffins with a kind heart tend to be the weaker ones in griffin society since aggression and greed help forge stronger and healthier mates. But Jack is both incredibly strong and kind at the same time.

Con: But sometimes I think Jack can be too kind. Sometimes it feels like he cares about others more than he cares about himself. Maybe I’m just imagining it, but I’d like it if Jack was just a bit more prideful of himself.

Pro: He has been accepted into my society and my people already adore him.

Con: Interspecies relationships in royal Hiallan society have always caused unwanted political problems. For instance, my great grandfather King Corbas, 6 generations past, had married a pegasus for House Hialla’s queen. It caused a major controversy and was only resolved until King Corbas agreed to take in a griffin mistress to continue Hialla’s bloodline. Since Corbas, royal interspecies relationships have always been treated with the barest amount of acceptance.

Pro: Jack would have to start off as my royal concubine and the thought of having a concubine again is a pleasant one to ponder over.

Con:………Nope, can’t really think of a con for having a concubine again.

Pro: So far I’m comfortable with how Jack is as a person and I get the feeling that he is comfortable with me as well.

Con: I’ve been in comfortable and safe relationships before and they always turned out boring. Jack could turn out to be one of those relationships as well.

Pro: He saved my life.

Con: I don’t want to fall for someone just because they saved my life.

Pro: I saw the way he looked at me at the docks.

I turned my head back towards the bow of the ship to see Jack with his eyes still closed in deep meditation. Those eyes that looked at me with awe and a hint of desire. If I wanted an intimate relationship with Jack it made it infinitely easier for me to consider the idea if he wanted an intimate relationship with me as well.

…

After weighing the pros and cons for a few minutes I decided yes. Yes, I am willing to reach for something more with Jack. Father said it himself that I’m still young and have the time to do things I’ll never be able to do in the future. Even if this does turn out to be a mistake I’m sure it’s a mistake I’ll learn to live with. Besides, if I don’t take Jack for myself now I’m sure Thistle will make a move sooner or later.

With my thoughts focused I decided that I would search for a moment alone with Jack to tell him of my feelings and hope that he is at least willing to consider the idea. In the meantime, I had a book to pass the time.

Jack’s gift, a collected history of the Sith and their empire was quite an interesting read. Before they became the namesake of the Dark Side’s ideals, the Sith species itself was almost always within a constant state of war on their home planet of Korriban and their later second home of Ziost. Surprisingly sophisticated despite their cruel and barbaric nature they thrived more so than other interstellar species and would even enslave those other species to further the Sith’s goals. I had read to the point where the exiled Dark Jedi had discovered the Sith and read further to find how instrumentally significant the Dark Jedi were to Sith culture and Sith biology.

After their arrival, human Dark Jedi participated in interbreeding and genetic manipulation which altered the Sith species significantly on a colossal scale. Then over the course of several generations, the original species became a hybrid race of Sith and Human heritage. With the Sith who had a considerably higher concentration of Sith blood and physiology being typically labeled as “Sith Purebloods”.

But what invested most of my attention was how the Dark Jedi implemented their manipulation and breeding of the Sith. The book went into surprisingly great detail on as to how their breeding programs functioned and would display revealing illustrations of the changes in the Sith Pureblood’s anatomy and physiology over the generations. How they selected mates based upon the strength of the Force within their bloodlines, and what they considered to be naturally handsome features. It even included… particulars… on the breeding process itself and I made sure to note the surprising number of tight restraints used to keep a Sith Pureblood in check.

It was a very, very interesting book.

……

“Dinner is served,” Thistle called out as he set out the dishes onto a table in the middle of the deck. We had reached our 7th possible site in the search and I could tell that we were all very hungry

“Yes, I’m starving!” Katy said excitedly as she bounded from her sunbathing chair and over to the table.

I locked the helm into place again and flew down from the stern to join everyone at the deck. When I got a good look at what Thistle prepared I was certainly not disappointed. A lot of the fish that Katy had caught were grilled and lathered in a brown sugar marinade with garlic and lemon juice garnishing their sides. However, the large wahoo she had caught earlier had been turned into a steak and was bathing inside of a large stainless steel bowl filled with more lemon juice along with garlic, olive oil, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Every dish was so saturated with spices I wondered if Thistle had cleaned out his entire spice cabinet.

“This looks very good Thistle,” I commented to my brother.

“I aim to please, now come on everyone dig in! I didn’t forget about you Sergeant Star,” Thistle said to the unicorn who had finally torn himself away from the bathroom half an hour ago. “I dug into my ship’s stores and whipped you up a fruit salad. I hope it’s enough.”

“It’s more than enough. Thank you very much, your highness.”

I had just taken a bite of my grilled fish when I realized that a big red giant was missing from the dinner table. I looked over the table to see that Jack was still meditating with his brow furrowed intensely in concentration. Something must have really caught his attention.

“What’s going on Jack? Your food is getting cold,” I said as Jack opened his eyes with excitement. Ignoring my question he turned his attention to Hyde.

“Hyde! What was the name of Sagacious Solon’s ship?”

“It was called The Seeker, but I doubt that is too important. Sagacious Solon would have dedicated his preservation spells to his grimoires, research, and his artifacts, not the entire ship. Most parts of the ship like the name painted on its side have probably decayed over time.”

“Don’t be so sure about that,” Jack said as he closed his eyes to fall back into his supernatural senses. “Because I can see it right now underneath us! The ship is almost exactly as you described it to me and the paint on it has barely even been chipped.”

Hyde jumped from the table and ran over to stand close to Jack. He was positively ecstatic right now.

“Jack is it-… are you absolutely sure?!” Hyde asked before receiving a nod from Jack.

“Yep, we found it.”

“YEEEESSS!!” Hyde said screaming with joy as he hopped and flew circles in the air. After he landed back onto the deck he bounced around excitedly while telling everyone exactly how happy he felt.

“I FOUND IT!!! Four years of research have finally paid off!” He said as he gave Jack a hug. “Thank you for finding it.” He then ran over to his brother to give him a hug. “Thank you for finding those records.”

He then proceeded to give everyone else a hug including me. This was the happiest I had seen him in years.

“I can write my thesis on this. Finally, I will have done something of note for our House. Sagacious Salon and all of his research! Oh papa will be so proud of me and Takada will finally have to show me some respect. Thank you, thank you so much everyone!” Hyde then turned his attention to Thistle. “The food is great brother but we need to celebrate with something more. I know you must have wine on this boat somewhere right?”

“In my cabin and underneath the bed is my private stash. Go ahead and fetch it, you deserve it, little brother.” Thistle said with a soft laugh as Hyde made his way swiftly below deck.

“You’ll have to excuse me everyone if I don’t join in,” Vigilant Star said as he continued to eat his fruit salad. “I’ve had my fill of alcohol for quite a while.”

We all had a laugh at Vigilant’s expense and Jack came over to join in on the meal. It took the whole morning and half the afternoon but we had finally found the ship. I knew that this must have meant the whole world to Hyde and I couldn’t be happier for him. Hyde had always been the smallest griffin of note in our family both figuratively and literally and this discovery was his chance to make his mark among House Hialla. It will do wonders for his confidence and that by itself will make him a better griffin. Also maybe he’s right, maybe Takada will finally take him seriously for once and give him some respect.

Throughout his life, Hyde had been treated by Takada with the barest amount of disdain. At worst she would belittle him for what little accomplishments he had achieved and treat them as if they were worth nothing. His acceptance into the College of Mystics, his research into ancient magic’s, she didn’t even show up to his eighteenth birthday. The most important birthday in a griffin’s youth. Everyone else in the family took the time to attend, even father who has the job of ruling an entire kingdom! I didn’t know for sure why Takada despised our little brother but I suspected it had something to do with the nature of his birth. Mother may have died at childbirth but that was no excuse for her treatment of him. Whatever the case may be for her disdain of Hyde, she can’t ignore him this time.

Jack had brought out his communicator to speak with his droids and told them that he had confirmed that this site was the location of the sunken ship. He told them to remain on standby and wait for further orders and they responded by having the Fury do a flyby close to our ship on the sea. The Fury roared over our heads and flew up past some cumulus clouds and out of our sight.

“Well everyone we found Hyde’s ship,” Jack said as he took a bite out of the wahoo fish with a fork. “Now we get the hard part. Lifting that sucker out of the sea.”

“Don’t worry Jack I can handle the heavy lifting,” Katy said confidently with a grin.

“Are you sure about that Katy? This isn’t some little tugboat, this ship is about the size of an old-school galleon and I don’t even want to think about how much sea pressure you’ll be putting yourself through. Not to mention the magical traps that may still be around.”

“You’re overthinking things Jack. Hyde will know what to do and we’ll just follow his instructions.”

Speaking of Hyde, my little brother had returned with the wine. He popped the cork and handed out a few glasses but I was suddenly caught off guard by a drastic change in pressure. The wind that was passing through my feathers had suddenly changed its course from the east and started to blow directly west. I turned my head in that direction and was taken by surprise by what I saw. On the sea horizon, a swarm of dark violent clouds was starting to head our way and I couldn’t believe how I couldn’t have noticed till right about now. When I was at the helm just barely ten minutes ago there wasn’t even a speck of such clouds.

I looked to Hyde’s Twin Serpents and the hippogriffs had noticed what I was seeing as well. I looked to one of them, Kaa I believe, and she nodded silently as she flew up to the crow’s nest beneath The Extravagant’s blimp to get a better view of the approaching storm. As the hippogriff examined the storm from above, everyone else had finally noticed what I was seeing. Jack paused mid-bite into his meal and stood up to walk to the ship’s railing to gaze at the storm. A harsh gust of wind passed through us all briefly and I didn’t have to be a mage to sense the magic being carried by the wind. The magic was so powerful that I swore I could even see Katy’s scales twitch in response to that magic.

Kaa glided back down from the crow’s nest and whispered into Thistle’s ear what she saw.

“She says that the storm has taken up the entire western horizon and she guesses that it has to moving at least over 90 kilometers per hour.” Thistle said with concern in his voice. He took a sip of his wine and looked at the approaching storm with a hint of trepidation in his eyes.

Just as Thistle stopped talking, Jack’s communicator to his ship beeped again and the small blue form of his droid 2V-R8 appeared in his hand.

“Master, scans have revealed a drastic decrease of atmospheric pressure in your location. Archived data from similar garden worlds would classify this change of pressure as unnatural in nature in view of the speed of its change. Considering your location and the hot moist air surrounding the sea, I would recommend mission abort.”

“Can you give me an ETA on when the storm will reach us?” Jack asked.

“The storm will hit your location in precisely 59 minutes and 42 seconds.”

Jack looked at us all with concern before he turned back to the droid. “Thank you 2V-R8, keep me updated on any further anomalies.”

“Of course master.”

Jack then looked at me and suddenly I realized that everyone was looking at me. As they should, I was the experienced sailor after all.

“What should we do?” Jack asked me.

I considered the approaching storm with a look and stroked the underside of my beak in thought. I had served most of my time in the navy on a Hiallan battlecruiser and typically storms were handled fairly easily. Battlecruisers were built to last cannon fire and magical missiles from enemy ships so durability from rough waves typically wasn’t an issue. The battlecruiser I served on was also a hybrid ship like Thistle’s in that it could fly in the air and skim the sea. However, Thistle’s ship was a pleasure yacht built by artisans whereas battlecruisers were built by experienced shipbuilders who knew how to prepare for anything the sea could throw at them. I also had to take into account that I was running a skeleton crew here with Thistle’s Serpents instead of a full complement of accomplished Hiallan sailors.

There was no other way to consider, we had to leave. This strange unexpected storm is putting me on edge and I didn’t favor our chances in surviving it. Taking on an authoritative tone I gave my orders to everyone on the deck.

“We need to relocate to another area of the sea using the ship’s teleporter. Thistle, get below deck and teleport us at least 500 kilometers east of that storm. Serpents, prep the sails and get ready to sail us into the portal Thistle creates for us. Katy, get all your clothes back on, I don’t want you making any more trips under water until I know we are safe.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Hyde said in alarm as I finished my orders. “We just found Sagacious Solon’s ship and we are just leaving it?!”

“Don’t worry Hyde we’ll be back for it. Once the storm passes we’ll come back and proceed with our original plans. It’s not going anywhere I promise.” I said while placing my talons on his shoulder. He looked like he wanted to argue but he slowly nodded in acceptance of my decision.

With that everyone carried out my orders and 5 minutes later we were 500 kilometers away and the storm was out of our sight. Since we were going to be here awhile till the storm passed I took up my glass again and told Hyde to continue pouring us wine. Just because we were now separated from our goal didn’t mean we couldn’t still celebrate.

……

“-And then, haha oh god, Jack then practically begged mom and dad if he could get his picture with Darth Vader,” Katy said as she regaled us all with embarrassing childhood stories of their past human lives. The current story Katy was telling us was of a family trip to this place called ‘Disney World’ and Katy had seemingly endless amounts of stories to tell about this theme park. Apparently, Jack’s favorite sci-fi franchise had a dedication in the park where people could walk up and take pictures with famous characters of the movies and when their family got there Jack proceeded to, quoting from Katy, “nerd the fuck out!” As Katy was telling the story, Jack sat next to her hiding his face in his hands.

“He was so excited and he was still jumping around like some possessed bunny even after waiting an hour in line. But this where it gets good. As soon as we got close to the tall imposing dark lord, Jack suddenly lost all of his enthusiasm and was completely silent. He stood there staring at Darth Vader for practically 10 seconds and then proceeded to run like hell away from him.” Katy was slapping her knee and she sipped her wine before she laughed as loud as she could. “We stood in line for a whole HOUR just to have him run away and have mom and dad chase him all over the park.”

“I was seven Katy!” Jack defended as I and everyone else joined in on the laughter. “Darth Vader is scarier to see in person than on a T.V screen.”

Katy continued to tell the story as if she hadn’t heard Jack.

“Wasn’t all bad in the end though. I at least got my picture with the dark lord. Made sure to show it off to Jack every day we were at the park.”

It’s been half an hour since we teleported away from the storm and despite its interruption of our plans, we were still supporting a merry mood. Hyde was eager to return to the discovery site but he was thankfully patient enough and sensible enough to wait. Jack and Katy had plenty of stories to pass the time and I figured with enough wine we would all soon return to the discovery site as if nothing had interrupted us at all. Despite the strangeness of the storm’s appearance, I will not allow anything to ruin Jack and Katy’s time together.

Jack was showing Katy his middle finger in a peculiar manner when his communicator suddenly beeped once again.

“Master the storm at the discovery site has disappeared!” The holographic droid cried immediately.

“Wha- how?” Jack asked now suddenly serious.

“Unknown at this current time. I am so dreadfully sorry master, I should have noticed something from the scans but I am but a foolish protocol droid! Please don’t deactivate me for this mistake master I only-,” the holographic droid’s attention was turned to something that was out of our view and after a few seconds, he returned that attention back to us. “Master the storm has reappeared again currently 200 kilometers west of your current position. Correction, the storm is now 150 kilometers west of your position.”

Everyone had lost their merry mood and were suddenly very alarmed. I felt a familiar breeze pass through my feathers and I looked to the west to find a violent storm heading right towards us. The very same storm that was supposed to be 500 kilometers away from here.

“How in Tartarus did it follow us here that fast?!” Thistle asked, voicing my own thoughts exactly.

“I don’t know,” I said in reply to my brother, regretting the actions I now would have to take. “But I don’t plan to have it catch us. We are teleporting back to the safety of the Shattered Isles. Don’t look at me like that Hyde, I know, but this storm is too much of an unknown and we don’t have the means to understand it right now. This situation is becoming too dangerous.”

“Wait a moment,” Jack interrupted. “We do have the means to understand this storm. This storm is obviously unnatural and that could mean that it is under the direction of someone’s or something’s will. With my Force senses, I can probably find out what that will belongs to. Also, the Fury has deep scanning probe droids it can fire into the storm to get an in-depth analysis of the storm’s composition.”

It was risky but I trusted Jack to be quick. I was curious what was causing this storm as well. Something that could create a storm this large and could move it this fast was something House Hialla needed information on.

“All right 2V-R8, fire a probe into the storm and begin analyzing for anomalies. I’ll see what I can do from here.”

Jack reached out with his hand towards the storm and closed his eyes to concentrate. Meanwhile, I saw the Fury fly a respectable distance from the storm and fired a bright red object into the black storm clouds. On the communicator in Jack’s other hand, I saw 2V-R8 hastily typing onto a console in front of him. After a minute I was anxious when none of them had come up with anything but then Jack opened his eyes in surprise all of a sudden.

“It’s- it’s the same presence I sensed on the docks. Somehow it followed us all the way out here!”

“What are you talking about Jack? What presence?” I asked confused.

“On the docks, I sensed that something was following me and Katy as we were making our way to the ship. It fled as soon as it realized I had sensed it and I thought it was too afraid to confront me. I sensed it was powerful but I didn’t think it was powerful enough to make something like that.” Jack said as he pointed towards the storm.

“This would have been something I’d like to have known before we had set sail, Jack,” I remarked slightly irritated at Jack’s lack of foresight. Jack was about to apologize but I stopped him with a raised talon. “Now’s not the time, did you learn anything else?”

“Not really, I can’t make out exactly what it is. It’s practically formless and unlike anything I’ve ever seen or sensed. All I know is that it is powerful, is capable of independent thought, and harbors anger within itself for some reason. Maybe the probe can give us more information, 2V-R8?”

The protocol droid was still typing onto his console but he quickly responded to the question.

“Master, after cross-referencing the storm’s anomalies with storms from other garden worlds I’ve found that this storm to be similar to the Force storms created on the Sith world of Dromund Kaas. While they’re not entirely the same they do- WARNING!!! INTENSE BLACK BODY RADIATION DETECED WITHIN THE STORM! ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGES ARE BEING DIRECTED TOWARDS... GET THE SHIELDS UP- “

Suddenly flashes of intense lighting streaked from within the storm and struck the Fury in the air. 2V-R8 disappeared from Jack’s communicator and the Fury fell towards the ocean with a trail of black smoke streaming behind it. Everyone rushed to the rail of the ship to watch the spaceship’s crashing decent and I had to hold back a cringe as I saw it smack into the ocean in a huge splash. I flew up a little from the deck to get a better view and saw the Fury thankfully floating above the waves instead of sinking to the bottom of the ocean floor. I looked towards Jack to see his eyes bulging and saw anger slowly creeping its way onto his face. I had to take control of this situation before it descended into chaos.

“We’re leaving, NOW!” I shouted above them all. “If that storm can take out Jack’s highly advanced spaceship then it most certainly can take out this ship.”

“But we can’t just leave them out there!” Katy argued indicating the droids stranded out in the ocean with a dangerous storm slowly approaching them.

“We can and we have to!” I replied in the most commanding voice I could muster. “We don’t have the power or the resources to fight off that storm. Unless you and Jack have other powers that allow you to dissipate a storm, we can’t fight that thing,” I said as I pointed towards the storm on the horizon that was slowly getting bigger.

Jack and Katy looked at each other hopelessly and Jack shook his head in resignation.

“No, we don’t have anything,” Jack said sadly. I actually hoped he had some sort of Force power he could use to solve this situation.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” I said after a few moments of thought. “We’ll teleport back to the Shattered Isles and gather up a griffin weather team specialized to fight storms like these. Then we’ll teleport back here again and hope that we can save the Fury before it sinks into the sea. Does anyone have any objections?”

None voiced any, so I shouted out the rest of my orders and everyone besides Jack, Katy, Vigilant, and Hyde got The Extravagant ready to move. Thistle went below deck to activate the teleporter and me and the Serpents prepared the ship to move towards the coming portal. I anxiously stared out towards the storm as it now nearly approached us and the winds began to intensify enough to rock The Extravagant side to side. The storm blacked out the sun and my tail thumped against the wooden floorboards in impatience and I was relieved when I saw the bowsprit beginning to glow brightly. However, my sense of relief turned to horror as I heard Jack cry out in alarm and saw a blinding flash of lighting strike the bowsprit in a loud echoing crack.

I rubbed my eyes to rid them of the foggy afterimages left by the lightning strike and gasped loudly when I saw the bowsprit split in half. An explosion boomed from below the deck and my heart sank to my stomach in dreaded fear. Fear that I haven’t felt since that moment when the Aper Major was about to crush me beneath its hoof. However, this fear was even more intense than that one brief brush with my own death. This was a fear that was worried that my own elder brother may be hurt or possibly dead.

It took everything I had not to rush down below deck to check on Thistle, but my self-discipline remained strong. I called out to one of the Serpents to take the helm, and despite their desire to rush and help their master, they obeyed my orders thankfully as Kaa took the helm.

“Hyde, Jack with me!” I said as I rushed below deck with them trailing behind me. If Thistle was hurt I needed Jack to help carry him and I brought Hyde along because Thistle was his brother too.

I charged into the teleporter room that held the Ether crystal and looked around to find many of the arcane chains and the mechanical podium badly burned and damaged. The Ether crystal seemed perfectly fine however and I continued to look around until I finally found Thistle huddled and a little burnt against the wall. I rushed over to him and heard him groan faintly as I turned him over to get a good view of his injuries.

His cloak was burnt and his hat was fine but his feathers were tinged in a darker purple hue and one of his talons, the one that should have held his portal ring, was split open and bleeding profusely. I ripped off a piece of Thistle’s cloak and used it as gauze to stop the bleeding and this was thankfully what made Thistle speak.

“That cloak was worth 10,000 bits you know,” Thistle said shakily but still managing to show us all his usual smile.

“I’ll buy you a new one when we get back then,” I said with a relieved laugh. “How do you feel? What happened down here, lightning struck the bowsprit and suddenly we heard a loud boom.”

Thistle curled his back as if something was painful at his side and he got to answer my question eventually. “The traveling mechanism must have been overloaded then by the sudden discharge the lightning created. I felt an intense jolt in my talon holding the portal ring and suddenly I was flung across the room by bolts of lightning. Everything was so bright and when my back smacked against the wall I looked around to find everything, including myself, seared and burned. GAAAAHHH!” Thistle cried as he tried to stand up. “Could you check my left wing, please? I think it’s broken.”

I lifted up his cloak to find that his wing was indeed broken. It must have happened when he was thrown against the wall.

“We need to get him into a bed and have his wing put into a splint. Hyde, you know how to make one yes?” I asked my little brother, knowing he had received as much first aid training as I did when we both went through our tutoring. Hyde nodded and I turned to Jack to have him lift Thistle into his arms.

As we got Thistle into a cabin room to be treated my thoughts rushed to figure out how we would survive this storm. Jack and Katy don’t have the power to deal with a storm and neither are they experienced when it comes sailing. I’ll grant that the Serpents are capable but they were far from what I needed in order to coordinate this ship properly in our situation. We could’ve abandoned ship and transferred over to the Fury but it was currently lost floating in the middle of the sea. There is also the fact that lightning strikes were being directed by a currently unknown being of obviously terrifying power and seemed intent on having us all join the Ancestors. It all seemed rather hopeless, but I remembered that despite all of the ruined equipment in Thistle’s teleportation device, the Ether crystal was still entirely intact.

“Hyde, how did you plan to draw power from Thistle’s Ether crystal?” I asked as my little brother was beginning to delicately straighten out Thistle’s wing with Jack’s help. Hyde was confused at the question but he pulled out a small arcane amulet that was hidden deep within the feathers on his neck.

“With this,” Hyde said as he showed me the amulet. “It’s a cadger amulet and I attuned it to specifically draw power from Thistle’s crystal. It would’ve given me the magical power I needed to dispel any traps that-.”

“Can you use the power from the crystal to project a barrier or defensive spells of any kind that could protect us from those lightning bolts?” I interrupted. Hyde’s eyes widened as he realized where I was going with this but my hopes began to leave me as I saw Hyde’s face become uncertain.

“I know little to no defensive spells. I’ve never really given that field of magic any real interest before,” Hyde admitted a little ashamed. Then his eyes sparked as he suddenly came up with an idea that I desperately hoped was a good one. “But perhaps Vigilant Star does! He’s a unicorn and a royal guard of Equestria as well. He has to have a defensive spell repertoire of some kind.” My brother then jerked the amulet off his neck to release the clasp and he gave the rune-covered amulet to me.

Finally having a plan to work with I took the amulet and rushed out of the cabin to head above deck. I looked back to realize that Jack was following me, the expression on his face telling me that he was hoping to help further in some way. I probably should’ve told Jack to stay below deck and stay out of the way since he had little to offer in this situation but I realized that might be a stupid decision. Jack could still surprise me again somehow with his abilities.

When I got above the deck I had to dig my claws and talons to the wooden deck to prevent myself from flying away as the wind and rain collided into my side with surprising force. The wretched dark clouds of the storm had completely covered the sky along with a heavy curtain of rain and harsh winds. The Serpents had thankfully done up the sails already to prevent the storm from carrying us through the sea like a ragged puppet but The Extravagant still wavered dangerously side to side from the rough waves. The dinner table we had on the deck to eat our food was gone and I had to assume the storm might have blown it overboard.

I quickly found the focus of my plan Vigilant Star who hugged close to Katy as they both gazed upwards towards the storm in amazement. I was beginning to call out and walk towards the unicorn when Jack roughly pushed me to the ground behind him and activated his lightsaber with a hiss. Thunder echoed out and suddenly Jack was blocking brilliant streams of blue lighting with his lightsaber that would have struck me dead if I had continued on my path. I almost couldn’t believe it if I wasn’t seeing it right before my eyes. Jack was actually fast enough to intercept lightning, one of nature’s fastest and most dangerous elements! I was suddenly very glad that I hadn’t told Jack to remain below deck.

“I probably won’t be able to do that more than a couple times! I can’t protect the whole ship with just my lightsaber!” Jack shouted over the winds while urging me towards Vigilant Star. When we finally got to Vigilant, Katy had been holding the both of them close to a mast to prevent themselves from losing their balance in a rough patch of waves.

“Vigilant we need you to put up a barrier around the ship to protect it from the storm! Can you sustain it and keep it strong enough if you have access to the Ether crystal’s magical reserves?!” I shouted as I held up the amulet to the unicorn.

“I can but-.” He was cut off as we all had to fight our balance from a very rough wave. “I’ve never created a barrier that large before!”

More thunder echoed out from above us and Jack caught all of our attention when he had to block another bolt of lightning.

“JUST DO IT!” I screamed as I unclasped the amulet and wrapped its chain around Vigilant’s neck. The unicorn got to work immediately and both his horn and the amulet glowed as a transparent blue dome appeared above The Extravagant and the barrier continued to enclose around the rest of the ship to separate it entirely from the outside world. Lighting struck the barrier with a muffled crack and The Extravagant was now amazingly silent since the barrier also prevented the rain and wind from harassing us as well. For the moment we were all safe.

But I couldn’t help but wonder how long that moment would last.

17) The First Storm (Part 2)

“A Jedi sufficiently strong in the Force can be trained to produce a facsimile, but not true Sith lightning, which, unabated, has the power not only to incapacitate or kill, but to physically transform the victim. Force lightning requires strength of a sort only a Sith can command because we accept consequence and reject compassion. To do so requires a thirst for power that is not easily satisfied. The Force tries to resist the callings of ravenous spirits; therefore it must be broken and made a beast of burden. It must be made to answer one's will, but the Force cannot be treated differentially. In order to summon and use lightning properly, you will someday have to be on the receiving end of its power, as a means of taking the energy inside yourself.”

Darth Plagueis The Wise, Star Wars

6 Hours Later

The storm had yet to relent.

Nightfall had come and we all were either tense or a little afraid. Jack had been trying to get into contact with his droids on the Fury every ten minutes but was constantly met with silence. It deeply frustrated him that he had most likely lost all of his highly advanced technology and Katy thankfully was able to calm him down before his temper got the better of him. Once Hyde got Thistle to fall asleep so his injuries would heal, the Serpents left their posts and refused to leave their master’s bedside. I wanted to be angry at the hippogriffs for leaving but honestly, there was nothing more they could contribute. With Vigilant’s barrier cutting us off from the outside world, we were little more than a gigantic snow globe floating in the middle of an angry sea.

Hyde was wracked with guilt for bringing us out here and he blamed himself for the situation we were put in and he also seemed to be getting ready to dive into another pit of self-pity. Luckily Katy stepped in to reassure my little brother that none of this was his fault. No one could’ve predicted the storm and Katy actually blamed herself for not telling anyone about the hostile presence that Jack told her about at the docks. Katy also helped keep Vigilant relaxed as he was holding up the barrier by giving him back massages and got him some pillows to rest on. Because of the comforts provided for him, Vigilant was able to better focus on keeping up the barrier despite the tediously long hours.

So far Katy was the one responsible for keeping morale stable and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. In situations like this keeping morale high was a priority for any leader of a ship crew. Since Katy silently volunteered to take that job for herself it gave me room to think of a way to get us out of this mess. With Thistle’s portal device destroyed we lost our quickest escape route from the storm and we didn’t have the resources to repair it. I asked Vigilant if hecould teleport us all away from the storm with the assistance of the Ether crystal but he said he barely had the ability to teleport himself a few meters away. Unicorn teleportation blinking of the scale I was asking for would require the focus of dozens of unicorns who have spent years mastering the spell and Vigilant assured me that he couldn’t do what I asked even if he had the combined power of hundreds of Ether crystals.

I did have 2 solutions, however. The first and simplest one was to simply wait for rescue from the Shattered Isles. Father and my sister Takada would spare no expense in finding out where we were and I figured that they would find us at least within a day or two. The only problem with this solution was assuming that Vigilant Star could hold the barrier up for that long. People needed to sleep and even if the unicorn was drawing power from the Ether crystal to power his barrier the process of keeping it up must still be a little demanding.

The second solution offered the quickest end to our situation but it was also the most suicidal. Griffins were capable of manipulating the weather and a good team of 10 could dissipate this storm by themselves. However, there were only 3 griffins on this ship and Thistle had a broken wing while Hyde was physically weaker than a majority of griffins. It would have to be up to me and I didn’t see myself succeeding just on my own. At best I’d probably dissipate a few clouds and lighten up the winds a little, but at worst my wings would get too exhausted trying to handle such a large task on their own and I’d probably fall into the sea and get a broken neck for my trouble.

‘For now, the best course I see for us right now is to go with the first solution and hope for the best. I guess the only thing I can do for now is remain alert for any changes in the storm.’ I thought to myself as I continued my vigil at the helm.

……

The Next Day

Lightning cracked against the transparent blue barrier again showing that the storm hadn’t even begun to slow down despite how much time had passed. I made sure everyone got at least a few hours of sleep last night but made sure periodically that someone was awake to give Vigilant Star company. The unicorn was exhausted and almost constantly needed someone else to keep him awake and it started to lean me ever closer to the second solution. Our situation was getting desperate and not even Katy could keep everyone optimistic. I couldn’t fault her for trying though.

“Okay everyone, brunch is severed!” Katy said with a tired smile. With a little help from her brother, Katy managed to whip up a few omelets for everyone in The Extravagant’s kitchen but that was all she could come up with. Thistle only brought enough supplies for a day-long voyage and it left Katy with few other options to work with.

“It’s great Katy thank you,” I said voicing my appreciation before everyone else followed my example. With the dinner table gone we all ate our food in our own little corner of the ship deck and the only ones who weren’t eating here with us were Thistle and his Serpents. Thistle was still resting in his cabin and one of the Serpents came out only to grab a few fruits before returning to the cabin room. I figured Thistle was all right for now and knew the Serpents would come to us if something was wrong.

Hours continued to pass us by and all I could do was still keep vigil over the ship and the outside world in hopes that a rescue would come eventually. Boredom more or less became my only feeling for the majority of the day so far, but that boredom was quickly swatted aside when I saw the blue dome beginning to flicker.

“Vigilant? VIGILANT?!” I heard Katy call out as she sat next to the unicorn who could now barely keep his eyelids open.

‘Nooooo.’ I thought as I slowly sunk into despair.

“Vigilant you have to stay awake!” Katy said as she shook the unicorn a little which caused him to groan weakly in response.

“He can’t keep it up forever Katy we have to think of something else,” Jack said beside her before he started to pace back and forth. The two displaced alien siblings started to throw out ideas and argue over solutions but they didn’t know that I already had planned for when our situation had when it had reached this point. I could feel my heart beating my feathered chest in fear for what I knew I had to do and I had to fight to claim the courage I needed to do it.

My brothers are on this ship! Jack, my newest friend, and his sister are on this ship! I’m the sailor here and I took charge of directing this ship when Thistle asked me to. These people are my crew right now and it is the duty of a Hiallan ship commander to take care of their crew. ALWAYS!’ I screamed in my head as a sense of duty to family and my House’s pride gave me the courage I desperately needed. ‘I was afraid of the Aper Major, but I still fought it. I’m afraid of this storm, but I will still fight it!’

I silenced Jack and Katy with a stomp of my right talons on the deck and they looked to me with their full attention. I told them my second solution and they were beginning to protest immediately but I silenced them again with another stomp.

“I know what I’m doing is practically suicidal but this is the only way I see any of us getting out of this alive,” Falca told Katy and I as we stood there stunned by what she said.

I wanted to tell her no but she had already made up her mind. I wanted to find us another way but I could think of absolutely nothing. I wanted to tell her that no one, not even Rainbow Dash, could handle a storm this large and dangerous by themselves. I wanted to tell her that without her we would have no idea what to do without her if she failed. I mostly just wanted to hug my first griffin friend in this world and tell her that she didn’t have to do this.

“Vigilant can you look at me?” Falca asked the tired unicorn as he strained to lift up his eyelids to look at her. “I want you to drop the barrier for just a few seconds but after that I want you to keep it up for as long as you can. Drink some caffeine if Katy can find any in Thistle’s kitchen, slap yourself in the face if you need to, just keep the barrier up long enough till I dissipate the storm or until help arrives.” Vigilant nodded his head but didn’t use his words for fear of yawning.

Falca nodded in return before she turned to the only other person on deck who had been oddly silent this whole time. Hyde was wide-eyed and I could sense the deep paralyzing fear he was going through as he thought of Falca facing the storm by herself. He wanted desperately to help her but he knew he was far too weak of a flyer to help in any way. He nearly started crying when Falca walked up to him and hugged the small griffin to her chest. Warmth was all Falca was giving to her little brother but it only made Hyde want to cry all the harder.

“I love you Hyde. If I don’t make it back tell Thistle, Takada, and fath- papa that I love them too. It’s going to be all right Hyde understand?” Falca said a little shakily. Hyde didn’t respond at first but he nodded his head into her chest after a few moments had passed. After breaking away from her little brother Falca looked to Katy, Vigilant, and then to me for a short while before she extended her wings and took to the sky.

“Falca!” I yelled before she flew too far away. She looked down at me expectantly and I said the only thing I could think of that made any sense. “May the Force be with you.” I doubt she understood entirely what the expression meant but I think she understood enough when she smiled at me in appreciation.

“Now!” Falca cried as she reached the wall of the barrier that protected us from the storm and I watched it disappear to flood us with a discordance of icy rain and harsh winds. The brief moment of unpleasantness was gone however a few seconds later as Vigilant reformed the blue transparent barrier once again to block another bolt of lightning from striking the ship. As the barrier reformed Falca had disappeared into the inky blackness of the storm. We were all alone now and the only thing we had left to do was either wait for Falca to return or pray for a miracle.

‘Expect I hate waiting and I most certainly hate praying!’ I seethed silently as I returned to my pacing around the deck. I looked over to Katy and saw her sitting cross-legged next to Vigilant Star and Hyde while softly petting their backs to provide them all the comfort she could give. Reaching out with the Force I could sense the worry she felt deep in her gut but she hid it well with a calm face and a confident smile. ‘Out of all of us, she is probably the only one that will survive us all if this ship was destroyed by the storm. Katy can breathe underwater and she can feed herself by living off the underwater sea life. Hyde and Thistle with the Serpents could fly over the ocean for a little while if the storm didn’t strike them down first but I didn’t envy their chances. I also didn’t envy my own chances as well even though I knew Katy would never leave my side. Swimming in the middle of the vast ocean without food was perilous enough even if the storm didn’t continue to hunt me as I swam in a random direction towards land. Vigilant Star arguably though had it the worst of us all. I should head below deck and see what supplies I can salvage for us all before- NNNOOO!’

I grabbed the ship’s railing and felt the wood crack audibly beneath my grip as I chastised myself for the thoughts I was entertaining. It was almost as if I expected Falca to fail in her endeavor. She was out there fighting an entire storm to save our lives and I had to do something to help her. There has to be something I haven’t thought of yet. Something I could use to give her the strength she needed to succeed.

It might have left a bad taste in my mouth but I considered consulting Valkorion in my token to see if he has any advice I could use. Even if he refused to help I should at least ask nonetheless. So I dug into my pocket and brought out the holocron that housed the former Emperor’s collected knowledge and prodded it with the Force hoping it would respond. I soon realized it had succeeded when I saw a bolt of lightning freeze mid-air in time outside Vigilant’s barrier.

……

“You call for me even though you still have yet to prove yourself worthy of my knowledge. Tell me, do you expect me to-.”

“Enough with the crap Valkorion!” I shouted mentally to stop him from inevitably scolding me. The holocron guardian’s ghostly form walked up to my side and ignored my glare to stare out at the lightning bolt frozen in time. “Can your knowledge help me assist Falca or not? Outside of war, combat, and natural Force senses, I don’t know how any of the Wrath’s Force abilities can help in this situation.” He said nothing at first and just continued to stare at the frozen lightning bolt curiously with a tilt of his head. I would have been angry at his lack of haste to respond but right now I had all the time in the world to deal with it.

“You disappoint me.” Was all he said.

“I did not ask for your approval Valkorion! I asked if your knowledge can help!”

He turned his gaze from the lightning bolt to gaze at me instead and I was surprised by the curiosity I found in them rather than the smug sense of superiority I always found.

“Why would my knowledge be of use to you when you already possess the ability to solve your problem on your own? If anything, offering you a fragment of my knowledge now would deprive you of the full victory you could claim for yourself.

“The Force is challenging you, Jack Krieger.”

I was confused by his statement. Do I possess the ability to solve my problem? I don’t think a little telekinesis and Force screams are enough to fight off a supernatural storm. Especially when I can’t get a focus on the entity that was causing the storm in the first place. What was the Force expecting me to do?

“But the Wrath can’t-.”

“YOU ARE NOT THE WARTH OF AN EMPIRE FROM A BYGONE GALAXY!” Valkorion roared in an echoing baritone that shook my senses. “You are a child inhabiting another’s body. A body that is strong with the Force and was forged in the fires of a galaxy bathed in war and Dark Side energy, but it is still not your body. The Wrath used his body and its power as he saw fit, but now it is time for Jack Krieger to use that power as HE sees fit. The Wrath’s limits are not your own.

“But I don’t have time to expand those limits now!” I argued. “Falca is out there risking her life to save the lives of everyone aboard this ship. I need a solution now!”

“As I’ve already said, you have the ability to save her already but you just refuse to see it. The Force isn’t just limited to the Dark Side.”

The Light… He was talking about the Light Side of the Force. Valkorion smiled as I finally realized what he was talking about and he walked a circle around me as he continued to speak.

“The Dark can be used to empower oneself and allow them to create their own destinies in this unendingly vast universe. While the Light can allow you to strengthen the hopes and powers of another and can unify a galaxy towards a set of ideals.”

I took what he told me and used it to sift through a vast collection of Star Wars lore I had collected in my nerdy mind after years of watching the movies, playing the games, and reading the books. I remembered the countless powerful abilities Jedi and Sith were capable of and one power stood out specifically. An ability that allowed Force users to coordinate allies and even entire fleets of ships into acting as a single entity and could empower others with considerable strength. Strength that Falca could use to succeed in her task.

“Battle Meditation,” I said openly.

“Yes,” Valkorion said in a whisper.

“I can use Battle Mediation to save Falca.”

“Only if you believe yourself to have the aptitude for it. This is a Force ability your neural implant won’t have experience for you to draw upon. The Wrath was a pure warrior and could never use Battle Meditation.”

“I have to have the aptitude for it. Falca needs me.”

Valkorion was strangely silent for a few moments. If I didn’t look around to make sure he was there I might have expected him to be gone.

“Be wary of family and the bonds you create Jack Krieger. You may think that you need the family and love people like Falca and your sister can provide, but I can assure you that family is a weakness that will be your downfall. I may disagree with the doctrines of the Jedi on many things but I can at least agree with them when it comes to separating oneself from family.”

“What would you know about family?” I asked Valkorion in utter disbelief. I played the video game and I knew how the former Emperor treated his own family. “You discarded your wife, enslaved your own daughter, and had your sons kill each other! You treated your family as only tools to be used to grow your own power.”

“And yet, they were the keys to my own downfall,” Valkorion said simply. “I was a god, an Eternal Emperor that no superweapon, Jedi, or Sith could ever hope to destroy completely. But it was my family that helped strike the final blow and ended my glorious reign over the galaxy. I say it again Jack Krieger…

“Beware of family and the bonds you create.”

…...

The passage of time had returned to normal and the lightning bolt outside of Vigilant’s barrier finished its blinding strike. Valkorion’s words still rung within my ears, prickling my thoughts and daring me to ponder them further, but I swept them aside as a much more important task needed my attention. Falca was still out there hidden physically amongst the quagmire of the savage storm but I could still sense her presence with the Force. She was fighting for her life, fighting for us all upon this ship and it was time I gave her some help.

“Hey, Jack you okay?” Katy asked behind me.

“No, but hopefully I will soon,” I said without turning around. Instead, I got on my knees and prepared myself for meditation.

“We’re all worried Jack but it’s okay. Falca seems to be a very strong griffin and I’m sure-.”

“Katy?”

“Yeah?”

“I need silence for what I’m about to do.”

“Ohhh… are you about to do awesome space wizard stuff?”

“Yep.”

“…”

“Awesome!”

I focused my senses entirely on the Force surrounding me. I felt the passions and emotions of all the living things on this ship turn into an energy that sung like a chorus. I held the power that dwelled deep inside me and felt how it was blighted by my constant use of the Dark Side’s tremendous energy. I knew that were I to surrender some of my power to another I would need to relinquish the greedy nature of the Dark Side and make room for the Light. To do this I needed to seek guidance from the Force.

Instead of bringing the Force under my direct control through the Dark Side I allowed the Force to give me what I needed instead of what I wanted. I needed to give up my emotions momentarily and allow myself peace so that I may articulate the Light’s will clearly.

I inhaled, then exhaled.

I felt the peace of the Light.

Where there was ignorance, only blissful knowledge now remained.

Where there was passion, only the serenity of focus kept me towards my goal.

Where there was chaos, only harmony was found instead.

There was only the Force, and the Force taught me what I needed to save Falca.

My mind and body were in a deep trance of Battle Mediation and I reached out to give the princess of the Shattered Isles my strength.

My wings ached and I could feel my muscles turn numb as icy rain dug through my fur and feathers to chill me to the bone. My wings and talons dug into the harsh electrified terrain of another cloud and I had the innate magic, which belonged to all griffins and pegasi, to dissipate the cloud into another harmless mass of water. The process was as draining as the 20 other times I had done before and I heaved a hopeless sigh as I realized I had probably hundreds of more clouds to go.

‘I have to keep going no matter what!’ I screamed in my head like a mantra. But deep down I knew that what I was doing was impossible to do by myself. I fought through the winds to the next adjacent cloud and I had to stop to catch my breath before I fainted from exhaustion.

But then something abnormal happened.

Suddenly my muscles were filled to the brim with energy and I could feel power radiate beneath my wings. My breathing slowed to a comfortable pace and I felt warmth encompass my being. My perceptions had increased dramatically and everything that once seemed chaotic and impossible now appeared controllable and promising.

I felt not merely strong but mighty. As if my talons could crush a slab of stone, as if I could fly a thousand leagues in an instant with a single beat of my wings. Thoughts raced through my brain, not simply clever or cunning thoughts but shining, frighteningly brilliant ones. It was like something inside my body had been awakened for the very first time and I wished for it to never remain hidden from me again.

I stood proudly upon the black cloud I had used for my rest and raised my wings to let loose a gust of wind that was overflowing with my newfound power. In an instant, over two dozen storm clouds were turned into more harmless masses of water and I immediately took notice of the absence of icy rain. The gust of wind I had created must have banished the rain from my general area and I felt great pleasure in the feeling of dry fresh air once more.

I was far from done though. More bolts of lightning crashed down upon The Extravagant down below from the hundreds of other storm clouds that surrounded me. Above it all though I sensed something amongst the clouds that wasn’t there moments ago. I don’t know how I could sense it now but I didn’t question it. There was an entity that formed and directed these clouds and I deduced that it was the same entity that Jack had spoken of back on the ship. It was beyond angry now and I could sense that it knew I was more than powerful enough to eradicate its storm. It hastened its creation of more storm clouds but I also sensed that it was beginning to conjure something much more dangerous.

I took flight once again and returned to my fight against the storm anew. Every wing beat in my flight path had cleared dozens of more storm clouds and along the way, I gathered the newfound power within my core to prepare for what I had planned. My destination was the mysterious entity that had caused all of this mayhem and it laid within the eye of this supernatural storm. I was going to end this storm at its very source with my mysterious newfound strength.

‘It will pay for threatening my family!’

With Falca endowed with the power made possible by my Battle Meditation the tremendous danger that the storm once presented seemed like a trivial matter to the griffin princess. The mysterious entity was now aware of the threat she presented and instead of directing lightning bolts towards The Extravagant, it now directed them towards Falca. She easily dodged the near instantaneous bolts of plasma once I had the Force guide her wings.

However, what was most curious about the whole endeavor was the fact that Falca needed less and less of my help the more I tapped the core of her being with my Force energy.The heaviness of her previous exhaustion vanished as if it were physical armor that had been seized and yanked off by her own talons. Her mind was racing with vast comprehensive thoughts that focused solely on the dissipation of the storm and each one of them was engendering a shift towards a quick resolution. Not only her mind but also her body seemed to ascend abruptly and shockingly to instant whole new levels of strength, dexterity, and control. It felt like not only could she destroy storms… she could also create them.

It all came to me all at once in an instant. Falca’s Hiallan bloodline wasn’t just filled with powerful magic and a lineage of monarchs. With my Battle Meditation, I had awakened something within Falca that has probably been dormant since the dawn of her birth. Falca was Force Sensitive!

“What… what is this?” I managed to ask myself in a whisper. How had I not sensed this before now? I knew Falca’s family was beyond extraordinary compared to most griffins but this revelation had taken them to an entirely different level. Every creature was touched by the Force, or in this world’s case magic, in some form or another but Force Sensitives were people like me who could become attuned to the Force’s spiritual will or could manipulate the Force to transform the world around them. It may not have been intentional but I was possibly responsible for creating this world’s very first Force Sensitive.

I wanted to bask a few moments in the joys of creating such a happy accident but it was cut short when the blue barrier that was supposed to protect The Extravagant disappeared all of a sudden and fresh icy rain chilled my skin. I broke my focus to turn towards Vigilant and was startled when I found that he had lost consciousness and was slumped against the cushions that Katy had provided for him. I cursed to myself as I realized I could’ve helped Vigilant maintain the barrier when I was using my Battle Meditation but was too focused on only helping a single person to realize my folly. I touched his mind to see if I could wake him up but I found it would probably be too dangerous forcing his brain to become conscious when his body was so desperately needing rest. I was surprised that he never complained once about the fatigue he was going through.

With the barrier down Katy was moving fast to get everyone below deck but the wind had picked up suddenly and threatened to blow everyone overboard. I quickly leaped to grab the rails to hold on and tried to keep focused on my Battle Meditation, all the while Katy grabbed some thick rope from the ship deck before it could fly off and tied lifelines around Vigilant’s and Hyde’s waists. She tied a loop around the mainsail to keep the lifelines secure but neglected to tie a lifeline around herself as she slowly tried to get to me on my side of the deck. Katy crawled on the deck holding on to obtrusive pieces of wood as the wind blew her hair around crazily. Angry waves tossed and turned The Extravagant ceaselessly as Katy tried to get closer to me and I tried to cut her journey in half by slowly trying to crawl towards her as well.

Then… everything stood still for a second as the Force warned me of a lightning bolt directed solely at Katy. The entity must have noticed that Vigilant’s barrier had fallen and stopped directing its lightning at Falca to continue its assault on us! With a flick of my hand, I ceased my Battle Meditation and my lightsaber flew into my hand. I channeled the Force into my legs to throw myself above Katy and I clicked the button on the lightsaber’s handle to activate it. In the small space between milliseconds, my lightsaber was half-formed as I turned my hand towards the sky to block the coming bolt. However before the blade could be fully formed, the impossible happened as lighting struck the blade in full force and shattered the saber’s plasma into pieces of released ionized matter. The lightsaber then acted as a conduit for the lightning as it traveled through the handle and into my arm!

It was just for an instant, but it was one of the direst pains I had ever felt in my entire life. It felt like thousands of razor teeth were tearing the inside of my body apart. My muscles spasmed and my jaw clenched shut, almost causing me to bite my own tongue in half. My insides churned and boiled and it felt like my organs were being turned into a gruesome soup.

Then just before it could end, I felt the electricity tear across my chest and my heart froze mid-beat. In those spare moments, before my back had hit the deck, my heart never continued its pace. I could only lie there wide-eyed, unmoving, and terrified as Katy rushed over to me to place the side of her head against my chest and heard absolutely nothing…

I could feel the power leaving me as I neared the eye of the storm. I clutched the feathers near my chest as it felt like my heart was being turned into liquid magma inside my own chest. Desperation plagued my mind as it felt like something close to me was ripped away from my very being. I needed to keep going but my body refused to respond to me as I dropped from the sky like a stone.

‘What’s happening to me? Why is it happening? I’m so close to ending this! I need more time, PLEASE, I need more time!’ I screamed inside my head.

I could see that I was quickly approaching the sea and I desperately searched inside myself for that power that had been within me. Seconds passed as I fell ever closer to my doom and without the power’s presence, I felt as if I was slowly being buried alive with fear. It felt like I was trapped, hopeless, and alone inside my own body.

But… whether by luck, resolve, or the will of the Ancestors, I found that power again deep inside myself. Except this time it didn’t feel like it had come out nowhere like some outside force. Instead, the power grew like a flame awakening for the first time and stretched to each corner of my body to fill me with its warmth. The power was returning and I used it to help me ignore the pain in my chest so I could will it to give me the strength to fly again.

I didn’t have time to stop and ponder why this was all happening and instead flapped my wings in a single beat that sent me soaring back onto my target. Then the fear returned in force as I saw the last few hundred dark clouds twist and turn into a horrible avatar of disaster.

The mysterious entity was creating a hurricane!

“JACK!!! COME ON JACK DON”T LEAVE ME HERE!” My sister screamed as she continued to press hard on my chest with the palms of her hands performing CPR.

I couldn’t respond however as my consciousness delved slowly into a tranquil state of oblivion. Shadows crept towards the edges of my vision and the only thing that kept me anchored to my mortal coil was the life Force energy inside me that still clung for life. It was hopeless though without a heart to keep the organic systems of my body from failing. Soon I would die and I didn’t know if everyone else would follow me into a similar demise.

It all made me absolutely furious!

My friends and family were having their lives threatened and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. I tore myself away from the warm comforts of the Light Side and dove once again into the raging fires of the Dark Side. The rage gave me power and that power demanded a target to be focused upon.

My eyes were dead focused on the clouds above me, but I searched instead telepathically with the Force to find the mysterious entity that was the cause of all of this. I searched through the raging winds and electrified clouds to find the entity and once again came across a formless chaotic mass. I didn’t know if the formless mass was just an illusion conjured up by the entity or if it was actually its true form. Regardless, that formless mass would be the target of my last moments of rage and I swore I would see it obliterated before I die.

I pushed and pushed against the hurricane’s winds with all of my might and I could barely reach the threshold of the storm’s eye. My wings began to feel an all too familiar ache as I continued to fight on but it was easily ignorable. I forced my wings to beat harder and harder, then soon all was nearly silent as I passed the threshed and found myself within the storm’s eye.

I had read about the experiences of great griffin and pegasi flyers who have dared to travel into the hearts of storms before but it was nothing compared to the real thing. Sunlight bathed me in its rays from up above while an entire landmass of dark clouds circled my sides and beneath me. It was so serene that I could’ve never guessed that a Tartarus spawned disaster was occurring outside the eye’s boundaries. Suddenly I had remembered why I had come here and I used the senses my newfound power has given me to find the mysterious entity that had caused the storm. I didn’t need to search for long however as I realized that the entity was all around me.

My eyes, now bloodshot at this point, widened as luminous blue smoke blew forth from the clouds behind me. The smoke pulsated and collected itself in a massive irregular sphere level with my body. The sphere formed a 20-meter-wide misshapen head with no mouth or nose but had enormous eyes the radiated a dazzling blue glow. The entity was nothing that I had ever seen before in my entire life.

The head riled back and forth with rage at my presence and something beneath its eyes took the shape of drooping, deformed and ever-changing lips. Sparks of blue electricity tapped the edges of those lips and the power that resided within my body warned me of the danger. I wrapped my wings in front of me and willed the power within me to extend outwards to form a protective shield. Bolts of blue lightning then sprung forth from the entity’s mouth and collided with my shield with surprising force. I growled fiercely as I resisted the shocking attack and prepared myself for the right moment to strike. I gathered more and more of the power within me then used it to empower myself until it was practically overflowing through my limbs!

Since my heart refused to flow blood and energy through my arteries to give my muscles the strength to move I decided I would move them with a different kind of energy. I willed Dark Side energy to flow into my right arm and my fingers twitched as my barely conscious brain registered a response. My rage pooled more energy into the dying limb and I made a fist to experiment with the strength I had gathered. I was close, so very close to my goal.

Revenge was all that drove me now and I couldn’t afford myself to be distracted. Even when I saw Katy trying to tie a lifeline around my waist to bind me to the ship. The winds were beyond perilous now and I wished Katy would leave my clinically dead corpse to save herself instead. She looked like she could barely hold onto the deck and I could see the muscles underneath her scales straining as she fought fearlessly against the winds.

As soon as she finished the last knot she began to work on herself. She had gotten a loop around her waist when a stray heavy wooden board appeared out of nowhere and struck her directly in the face. Katy’s nose was bleeding white dust and it was enough for her to lose her focus and… lose her grip.

She was gone.

I couldn’t turn my head to see where she had gone but I knew the wind had blown her overboard and far, far away. The storm had taken away the one thing I cherished above all else in this new world. It took my sister away from me.

‘It took my sister away from me.’

‘It took my sister away from me!’

‘It took my sister away from me!!’

‘IT TOOK MY SISTER AWAY FROM ME!!!’ I screamed inside my head, never more desperate to roar like a beast in my entire life!

My right arm sprung directly into the air targeting the sole focus of all of my rage. Dark Side energy pooled from my arm like a fountain and I suddenly remembered the lighting that had so badly damaged my mortal body. I remembered how it tore into me and ripped me asunder with its unbearable heat. I remembered exactly how that lighting was formed when it struck my lightsaber and used that horrifying experience to give form to the attack I was about to direct at my target. The Force took the form of dazzling sparks that danced along the edges of my fingertips and I channeled the Dark Side energy into those sparks to give life to a vivid spectacle of power.

Sith Lightning pierced the sky in a blinding purple color towards its most hated target.

I saw purple light gleam through the feathers of my wings rather than the blue rays I had come accustomed to from the entity’s blue lightning. I peeked through my shield of power to find the entity twisting its smoky form in pain till it exploded outwards in a huge boom that was so loud that it stabbed my ears far more loudly than any thunder strike. The air sucked in by the implosion made the clouds rustle towards the entity in such heavy waves that it almost seemed like the clouds were trying to protect the entity. The roar of the entity was now beyond deafening as it grew larger, but it seemingly gave up its attempts to pull itself together as it soared higher and higher towards the stratosphere and flew away in retreat. It seemed like my intense buildup of power now seemed unnecessary.

That wasn’t the case however when I realized that the entity had left behind its half-formed hurricane beneath me. The storm was still raging beneath me so the danger had yet to pass. With a target to focus my power upon I extended my wings in a dazzling flourish to release all of the power that had built up inside me with an exploding repulse. Nothing was spared as the hurricane and its clouds parted beneath me like a dividing sea and soon all was as quiet as the eye of the storm.

I could see the beautiful sea underneath me as the sun now shined brightly upon its waters once more. The sight was made all the more beautiful when my keen avian eyes soon spotted The Extravagant intact and floating rather than desolate and sinking. Then that keen avian sight began to fail me as I realized I had probably used too much of that newfound power inside me. Exhaustion ached my muscles and my bones as I attempted to keep myself aloft in the air but it was futile as I soon dived beak first towards the ocean.

I tried to extend my wings to lighten my fall but it was useless as they had refused to move at my will.

‘After all of that, I’m still going to die?’ I thought both half mad and half strangely satisfied. ‘It doesn’t though, I succeeded in saving my family and friends from the storm. I saved my crew like any good Hiallan ship commander should. I would’ve liked to have experimented with that power some more at the very least but we all can’t get everything that we want. Not even a princess can…’

I closed my eyes to wait for my neck to snap in half when I eventually reached the surface of the sea. It would be a quick death I realized and hoped that my deeds today would be enough to prove myself worthy of joining the Ancestors. I was content and ready to go.

Then I heard a roaring hissing sound behind me as I felt cold metal arms reach around me to cradle me and softly break my fall. I was surprised that someone had come to save me but was confused as to what these metal arms belonged to. I opened a tired eye to look upon who had rescued me and was even more surprised to find Jack’s droid HK-55 flying in the air with a weird metal backpack of some kind strapped to its back. The backpack spewed fire underneath the droid and had to be the propulsion that was keeping the droid aloft so high in the air.

‘So the Fury must’ve survived then?’ I pondered.

“Query: Do you require assistance Princess Falca?”

I was too exhausted to respond and allowed myself to fall asleep, relieved that I wasn’t going to die today.

The entity was gone and Falca had dissipated the storm. The waves had ceased their angry torment and the sun was now shining brightly upon my crimson skin. Everyone seemed to be safe.

‘All except Katy, and I’m still dying.’ I thought bitterly as my arm was still extended into the air towards a target that wasn’t there anymore. My brain was still the only thing that was fully functioning right now but that was soon to change as a lack of blood flow began to force it to shut down.

‘No, no, no, not yet. Not now! Katy’s been thrown far across the sea by treacherous winds and I need to see her safe in front of my eyes. I can’t die now.’

Sparks of lightning and Force energy still prickled at my fingertips and a faint, dying idea struck my mind. I pooled whatever Dark Side energy was left inside me into my right hand to produce a proper voltage and straightened that hand into an open palm. I smacked my right hand onto the middle of my chest and electricity spasmed through my muscles again, prompting my body to arch its back towards my electrified hand.

Through my vast power over the Dark Side, I managed to bring myself back from the precipice of death as air filled my lungs once more to oxygenate my blood as it began to flow through my circulatory system. A faint lubb-dupp, lubb-dupp, lubb-dupp, was felt by my hand as it felt the heart beneath it beginning to reawaken with life. However, my mind was still exhausted after being deprived of oxygen for such a strenuous amount of time. I needed to sleep, so I allowed myself that blissful pleasure.

‘But when I wake up, I will find you again Katy.’

Many hours later and far away from the events of the storm that had wrecked the sea, an old galleon ship had caught something big and heavy in its net. Nearly a quarter of the crew had to be used to pull up the net up to the deck and when they finally completed their task they hanged the net onto a hook high up on the mainmast of the ship to get a good look at their catch. The crew itself was comprised of a multitude of races like griffins, ponies, and zebras but they all wore shambled clothing that was either made out of torn leather or cheap cloth. Each one of them though was heavily armed with sabers or crossbows.

“Eh, what you think it is D.D?” A young looking griffin male asked a mare as he poked the net with his saber.

“Don’t know, but maybe you griffins could eat it like any other fish. Got beautiful blue scales though, a shame if you lot decided to eat it.” The mare answered to her fellow crewmate.

“Nay that be no regular fish.” Another pony said, this one a stallion, from behind the other two. “It got red hair and an eyepatch on its head. Look at that! It also has two mounds on its chest like they were belonging to some mammal. Never seen a fish with tits before in me life!”

“You’re right lad, that ain’t no regular fish we got caught in our net.” A deep croaking male voice said that had an instant effect on the crowd. The crew immediately made way for a large lumbering griffin as he walked towards the net and he was quite the sight to look at. His right eye was a creamy milky white and he wore a red finely furnished captain’s coat that widely set him apart from the rest of his crew. A black tricorn hat rested on his head and he took the hat off to reveal his molting half brown, half gray feathers to better examine the catch in the net under a better light.

Katy Krieger moaned unconsciously within the net as she hung upside down with her feet caught and tied up next to the hook that held the net. She was bruised and weathered but was obviously alive.

“Lads and lasses, we just caught ourselves the biggest payday of our lives.”

Author's Note

Finally got this next 2 part chapter done after using my time in the evening after work for 2 months. I hope everyone enjoys and I'm looking forward to writing the next one!

18) Prized Fish

The first sensation I felt when I woke up was a raging headache stretching across every region of my head. The pain was sharp, sudden, and made me wish I had remained unconscious. Then my levels of discomfort were tripled when the nasty odor of vinegar invaded my nostrils and I tried to pinch my nose to ward it off. However, when I tried to move my arms I just now began to realize that I couldn’t move them and I could feel tight coarse rope keeping them tied above my head to a wide wooden pillar against my back.

My eye snapped open as I shockingly realized I was tied up and I was surprised by a second shocking realization when I found that I was tied up on a different ship with a crew of complete strangers who were… well… strange! Rough looking griffons, ponies, and zebras in shabby clothing were keeping themselves busy with tasks throughout a ship that most definitely was not The Extravagant. Griffons, who probably smelled as bad as they looked, would fly up and around the sails to check the rigging while an earth pony or two on the deck would pull on a rope with their teeth to till the sails. Another earth pony and a few zebras appeared to be doing maintenance on several ballistae that armed the port and starboard sides with wide crates beside them that held javelin sized bolts etched with strange runes on their tips. The crew members that were closest to me were also the source of the nasty vinegar smell I had woken up to earlier.

A zebra mare in front of me was scrubbing the deck with a brush in her hooves that was lathered with the sour substance and I couldn’t help but cough a little bit as the smell overwhelmed my nose again. My cough caught the zebra’s attention and she turned to me with wide eyes. Then a smile grew on her muzzle, and before I could ask what the hell was going on, she dropped her brush and spoke in a soft voice with an African accent.

“It would seem our prize has finally awoken, with a voice that tells me she is unbroken. I thank you strange sea-devil, you’ve given me an excuse to leave my laborious peril.” Before I could ask her to repeat herself she turned around after she finished her confusing rhyme and made her way towards the back of the ship.

“Hey, hey HEY! Where the hell am I? Why am I tied up? Who are you people?!” My questions were left unanswered as the zebra went through a door that led to the captain’s cabin. I turned to everyone else on the ship deck and repeated my questions but they all either laughed or ignored me. “Will someone please speak to me?”

“Sure we can talk little fishy. Me buttocks have something to say to ye.” A griffon said as he turned his back to me and ripped out a fart in my direction, causing his peers to laugh obnoxiously.

Not finding it to be amusing at all, I focused my attention on my bindings and evaluated my situation. Both my hands and feet were tied to the ship’s main mast behind me and the ropes were strong and tight enough to prevent me from twisting around. I felt drained and the headache was hell but I think I was strong enough to break myself free if given the chance. Then I noticed that my black tank top and blue jeans were soaking wet. I remembered I was… somewhere in the middle of the sea on board Thistle’s ship The Extravagant. We were under attack by a freak storm, Vigilant’s barrier had gone down, the rain was freezing, and I remembered I got hit by something on the head. But before I got hit on the head I remembered I was trying to do something. I was trying to tie a lifeline around Jack because… because…

Jack was dead.

I remembered Jack jumping into the air above me trying to block a bolt of lightning that was directed at me. I saw him fall to the ground in a smoking heap, twisting and turning as volts of electricity burned through his muscles. I remember screams, I don’t know if they were my own, and I tried to listen for Jack’s heartbeat. His heart was silent and I felt nothing but absolute panic as I did everything I could to help him. CPR, begging, more screaming, nothing I did would make my little brother move again.

I tied a lifeline around him so the winds of the storm wouldn’t blow him away but before I could tie a lifeline around myself something hit me on the head and I lost my grip on the ship deck. The hit on the head left me dazed and the harsh winds pushed me overboard and far out into the sea. I remembered the winds carrying me uncontrollably and chaotically for an eternity before I smacked into the sea with an impact that must have shaken me unconscious.

‘Then I woke up here.’ I thought as I shifted around a little in my bonds. ‘If Jack’s dead then… no, he can’t be dead! Maybe Falca stopped the storm and little Hyde got to Jack in time. What if I was wrong?! The storm was so loud and heartbeats are hard to listen to with just an open ear. Maybe his heart was working fine and I had panicked over nothing. Maybe I was wrong and Jack was just unconscious… right? HE CAN’T BE DEAD!’

I grunted and tried to hold back any tears. Just the thought of not knowing for sure made me want to scream!

‘I’ve got to get out of here. I need to find out to what happened to everyone and figure out what happened to Jack!’ I declared in my thoughts as I straightened up as much as I could in my bindings. I was getting ready to rip off the ropes when the zebra reemerged from the captain’s cabin along with what looked to be the captain himself.

I knew he was the captain by the way everyone on the deck stood at attention in his presence and by the clothes he wore. His red long jacket and black tricorn hat gave him a stately, almost military presence but the unkempt brown and gray feathers made him look unrefined. The griffon’s appearance was honestly a paradox to me. The captain was obviously old, like grandpa levels old, and each one of his feathers were molting and almost ready to fall off. Along with his weird milky right eye, the captain was about the ugliest griffon I had ever seen. In contradiction, his outfit was something you would expect from a posh naval officer.

The red long jacket he wore looked like it had been pressed and cleaned recently and was trimmed with fine golden threads that enhanced the red remarkably well. The tricorn hat was also top quality, with a deep black tint that was as dark as a raven’s feathers. Then there was the sword hidden underneath his coat. It was a cutlass with a golden hilt encrusted with dozens of small beautiful gems that shined brilliantly even as it hid underneath the shadow of his coat.

With all these fine possessions he wore, it gave me the impression like he was trying to disguise his appearance with the most beautiful things he could carry.

“Well, well, well… our prized fish has finally awoken. You did a good job in warning me first Dayo,” The griffin captain said to his zebra subordinate as she saluted to him. “You’re off cleaning duty for now.”

“I thank you, my captain. Your reward fills me with joyful passion.” The zebra now known as Dayo responded in rhyme.

“Quit it with the rhymes, you ain’t no shaman any more you hear me.”

“O-Of course captain… My apologies sir.” The zebra sputtered out before the captain waved her away impatiently with his wing. The zebra scuttled away as fast as she could before the captain turned back to his still open cabin door and beckoned for someone else to come out.

“My Queen, she’s woken up. Queen’s on deck you bloody rats!”

After the captain called into the cabin a new griffon appeared in front of the door. This new griffon was taller than any of the other quadrupeds on the deck and actually had to hunch down to pass through the door. She was virtually as tall as Falca if I had to consider a griffon size comparison. The way she walked onto the deck was fluid and dignified as every member of the crew, including the captain, bowed their heads and positioned their right foreleg across their chests in salute.

The queen’s feline-half presented a dark chestnut colored pelt and wings with an exceptionally long tail swinging behind her. Her face and most of her avian-half however, was generally concealed by a strange mask and a dark blue shawl. The mask’s wooden exterior was as blue as the ocean surrounding us and it was shaped into the visage of a stern-looking griffin. But those were the mask’s most normal features. Elongated fins stretched backward from the sides of the mask like my own fins which acted as my ears. The mask’s crest had strange twisting tentacles forming a circle around the queen’s head, practically giving the mask the appearance of a royal crown.

Both the mask and the shawl made it impossible to discern her appearance and feathers, but it all did its job in giving her a mysterious, slightly royal presence.

“Now this is quite an honor…” The Queen said behind her unmoving mask as she made her way to stand before me. Her voice surprised me with its soft, matronly tone. Almost every word sounded like it was laced with sweet honey for my ears.

It surprised me so much that I had to remind myself that she was my abductor as I squirmed uncomfortably in my bonds.

“When Vile told me that he had pulled one of the famous alien siblings from the sea, I simply had to see it for myself. Katy Krieger, or otherwise known as Undyne the Dread Fish of Equestria and, if the new rumors are to be believed, a prodigious combatant in the Hiallan’s Titan Arena.” The Queen continued.

‘Ok WOW. Was there some secret social media service going around that no one’s told me about yet? Cause now even strange queens out in the middle of the sea know who I am and what I’ve done! The Titan Arena happened just a few days ago.’

“I got three questions queenie,” I said as I straightened myself up as much as I could. I needed to find out what happened to everyone on The Extravagant and I wasn’t in the mood for niceties. “One, what happened to the people that were with me? Two, why am I tied up? Three, where the hell am I?!”

“HEEEY, don’t you be talking to the Queen that way you freak!” One of the crewmen bellowed in protest.

“Stow it, crewman. All of you keep yourselves quiet and don’t interrupt while the three of us speak.” The griffon captain with the red jacket squawked angrily.

“It’s alright Vile.” The Queen’s said in her honeyed voice, leading me to connect that the griffin captain in the red jacket was named Vile. “To answer your third question, Miss Krieger, you are on the Merry Marauder, flagship of Vile’s fleet. For your second, you are tied up because you are Vile’s prisoner. For your first… well, you weren’t found with anyone else Miss Krieger. Vile found you alone and unconscious in the middle of the sea.”

‘How far did that storm throw me from The Extravagant? It couldn’t have been too far, although my unconscious body could’ve been drifting in the sea for who knows how many hours or days!’ I thought with a shudder.

“Who were you with before Vile found you?” The Queen asked.

Considering my current situation, I didn’t think it wise to mention my friends to my abductors. Even if I had no idea where they were.

“Well if you don’t know, then I ‘respectively’ decline to answer that question. I don’t know who any of you people are and I have no reason to tell my abductors a single thing.” I said in a tone that I hoped sound rebellious. This got a reaction from Captain Vile as he flew up to my face waving his talons in front of my eyes.

“Lass you ain’t in any position to decline us anything. When we ask you a question you answer us, understand! If you don’t I swear I will gut you like a fish.”

“Oh how clever,” I said sarcastically. I wasn’t in the mood to take any of this, and my headache got worse when he got close enough to me to smell him. He smelled like an unholy mix between sweet fruit and harsh vinegar. “Gut me like a fish… because I’m a fish. Any more threats from the witty Captain Vile.”

Suddenly his left talons were around my throat and I saw him draw his cutlass as he poked the blade underneath my tank top. The tip of the blade was just above my belly button and I could feel it uncomfortably scraping underneath a few of my scales. One false move and I knew I would be spilling magic dust all over the ship deck.

“Oh, I got plenty more lass. You want to hear another one? I assure you that it’ll have you spilling your guts with laughter.” Captain Vile said as the blade was pressed harder against my abdomen, causing me to softly grunt.

“Oh come now Vile you shouldn’t let your prisoners get to you this much. It sets a bad example.” The Queen said coming to my rescue. Captain Vile sneered at her comment but adopted a smile on his beak and laughed lightly as he turned around to address the Queen.

“You’re right of course, my Queen. Forgive my outburst.” Vile said as he released my throat and sheathed his sword. He settled himself back onto the deck but continued to stand right next to me, ready to pounce on me again.

‘Are these two trying to do a good cop, bad cop routine or something?’ I thought as I cleared my throat.

“Now Miss Krieger, do you fully realize your situation right now?” The Queen asked.

“I’ve been taken captive by a couple of weirdos who all smell like ass.” After saying that Vile started to seethe by my side but stayed quiet while a few crewmen around the ship sniffed themselves out of concern.

“You’ve been taken captive by pirates who sail under the flag of the Pirate Queen… my flag.” She said unaffected by my answer.

‘Ahh crap. Pirates…’ I thought to myself. I remembered back in the Titan Arena when Jack and I were talking to Falca and Thistle about a Pirate Queen whom House Hialla was hunting. They said she was supposed to be really hard to defeat and that the only one who actually managed to slay her was King Grinnail himself. They also said that she reemerged years ago but were confident that the new Queen was just a good copycat. They seemed pretty confident about that fact too now that I think about it.

Nonetheless, this all sucked in the worst way possible because I actually like pirates! Pirates were cool and rebellious swashbucklers in most of the movies and stories I’ve seen and read. This whole experience was ruining that for me.

“And since Vile and his fleet fall under my command he has seen fit to offer you to me as a tribute. As my tribute, I am free to do anything I wish to you. So consider this…” the Pirate Queen continued. “If you are a good little captive and do everything I say, I’ll simply hold you hostage, have either House Hialla or your brother pay a ransom, and we can all go our separate ways.”

The mention of my brother caused me to twitch a little.

“But if you continue this attitude and act like a naughty little captive, I’ll treat you to all the hospitalities we pirates can offer. Oh, and trust me, pirate hospitality is not a pleasurable experience.”

As she left that statement to hang in the air I heard several cruel chuckles stemming from the rest of the pirate crew. One griffon pirate was looking at me like I was food and rubbed his belly, while a pony pirate drew a knife slowly across her neck with a sick grin. All of them promised me a bad time if I chose to follow the latter option.

“Ok, ok I get it.” I said tiredly earning a soft ‘hmm’ from the Pirate Queen. The queen then walked around me and looked me up and down as if to study me, but as she was doing that I started checking the ropes on my hands and ankles again while planning my escape.

If I could break my ropes and just jump into the ocean I easily outrun this ship and escape. I would have no idea where to go if I did escape but I’ll solve that problem when I get to it. In the meantime, the ropes on my wrist were too tight and too thick to slip out of and would require brute strength if I wanted to break free. Problem was, it was difficult to tell how fast I could break free of them, and if Vile or any of the pirates close to me noticed what I was doing they could draw their blades on me fast. I could keep the pirates distracted if I summoned a few magic spears but there was still a chance they could stop me.

However, I did notice that the ropes around my ankles were a little loose. Not loose enough for me to slip my boots out, but they weren’t tight enough to keep my feet from slipping out of my boots. I could feel my ankles sliding, almost freely, up and down the shafts of my boots as I tested them. This realization gave me a defensive option if I needed more time and if a pirate tried to stop me I could slip out of my boots and kick the pirate away.

Ditching my boots kinda ticked me off as they were my only footwear in this world where its denizens have either hooves, claws, or paws. But if I wanted to swim properly as I made my escape to the ocean I would need both my webbed hands and my webbed feet.

I was getting my magic ready to summon my spears before the Queen stopped studying me and spoke up again.

“Now I am still a little curious on why you were found so far out at sea. You’ve already said you were with others, but who were they and how did you end up separated from them?” Her voice was gentle as she asked her question. Each word sounded like it was genuinely filled with empathy and her voice honestly made me feel safe even though I was tied up and surrounded by dangerous pirates with sharp weapons.

‘Maybe… maybe I could tell her a little bit about what happened. She sounds reasonable, and her voice… dear god that voice… What was I thinking again? She sounds reasonable? That’s right! Maybe she could give me insight on that freakish storm that attacked us. It’s worth a shot.’

“Me and my brother were sailing with some of the royalty from House Hialla. We were… just out at sea enjoying ourselves when some freakish storm followed us all across the sea. The storm literally attacked us! We bunkered down in the ship hoping it would disperse after a while but it just kept going and going. Then… we…”

‘Should I really be talking about this? Why am I-‘

“Yes,” she asked urging me on with that gorgeous voice.

“We made a gamble and tried to disperse the storm ourselves but Falca was the only one capable of doing the job.”

As soon as I mentioned Falca the Queen tilted her head back as if surprised but it was hard to tell if she was actually surprised with her face covered by the mask.

“She tried to disperse an entire storm by herself?” The Queen asked in a controlled tone as I nodded in confirmation before I continued.

“I think my brother was trying to help her until he got…”

‘I-I don’t want to talk about what happened to Jack!’

“When you said royalty from House Hialla you meant griffons from the monarchy, not some minor nobles correct?”

There was that voice again. I nodded to answer, thankful that she didn’t push me to talk more about Jack.

“Can you please name the rest of the griffons you sailed with?”

“Besides Princess Falca the only other griffons there were Prince Hyde and Prince Thistle.”

The whole pirate crew murmured loudly at that. At my side Vile started to chuckle with an ugly smile on his beak, a happy glint presenting itself somehow in his milky right eye.

“Three of that butcher Grinnail’s brats are at sea, all on one ship? Did you all sail alone lass or did you have an escort with you?” Vile asked creepily.

“Be silent Vile.” The Pirate Queen ordered, earning a confused look from the pirate captain.

After hearing Vile’s creepy voice instead of the Queen’s I suddenly felt like I had snapped out of whatever spell I was being placed under. Something in the Pirate Queen’s voice was making me answer her questions and I didn’t want to stand around and wait for her to put me under the spell again.

It was time for me to make my move and get the hell out of here.

Blue magical circles spawned all across the ship deck to surprise the entire ship crew. They were surprised again when spears extended out those circles to strike at them, however, the tips of the spears were made blunt because I wasn’t trying to severely hurt anyone. The whole ship was thrown into chaos as several of the pirates were struck with the spears and they all started to scream wildly as their SOUL’S sprouted from their chests. To keep them confused I had some more spears apparate out of thin air and had them fly around wildly to keep them confused as I began to work on the rope around my wrists.

Fibers of the braided rope were beginning to snap apart as I simultaneously tried to break free and concentrate on summoning more magical spears. I was almost free until Vile broke his gaze from the chaos and looked at me for a split-second. He noticed that the rope keeping my hands above my head was being ripped apart and became enraged.

“YOU LITTLE RAT!”

He drew his cutlass again and was getting ready to swing but I was already trying to free my feet from my boots and the rope that bound them. Just as I slipped my feet free I bent my knees and pulled up on my still bound wrists to give myself leverage as I dropkicked the enraged pirate captain. Vile froze mid-swing when he saw my legs slip free and didn’t react fast enough before my kick hit him square in the beak and sent him flying. The kick even had enough force to send the bastard flying all across the deck and through the door of the captain’s cabin.

With a satisfied smirk, I returned to work on the rope around my wrists and pulled with every ounce of my strength. The rope finally gave up and split apart after a few more seconds and I immediately made a beeline for the portside rail of the ship. A few of the pirates who had just recovered from the chaos were trying to draw their weapons but they would be too slow to stop me. After 2 steps I had smacked away a dumbstruck pirate pony who looked like he was still trying to comprehend what was going on. 3 steps later I leaped over a couple griffin pirates who were trying to swat at their SOULS like they were weird flying bugs. 4 more steps I would be over the ship railing and home free.

Then the feline paw of a griffin came down from up above and hit me right between the eyes, intensifying my already unbearable headache.

I was dazed at first but luckily the adrenaline was already kicking in and I was fast enough to backpedal away when another paw was about to kick me in the face. The paws had come from the Pirate Queen who was now flying directly above me and blocked my current path to the sea. I heard a small laugh come from behind her mask as I immediately made my way to the other side of the ship only to find a wall of swords and bolts from crossbows pointed directly at me from some very pissed off pirates.

“Shit,” I cursed softly while trying to think up another plan. My first priority was just to get off this ship, but if I had to kick the ass of every pirate on this ship to do so then so be it.

‘My only real issue are the ones with the crossbows. Maybe if I can get a wall of spears behind me in time I can take another go at the portside railing and try to dodge past the Pirate Queen. How was she fast enough to get in front of me anyway? I didn’t even see her coming! Gahh it doesn’t matter, I need to-‘

“I didn’t say you could leave Miss Krieger.” The Pirate Queen proclaimed while flying above me, her almost abnormally long tail swinging behind her like a snake. Her forelegs were crossed in front of her chest and I noticed a bit of white dust staining the claws of her right hind paw. I checked where her paw had struck and felt some of my dust along with a few small loose scales in my hand.

“I ain’t looking for permission bitch!” I yelled up to her.

I summoned the wall of spears behind me to cover my back from the other pirates and tried to go for the portside railing again. The Pirate Queen flew down at me fast like a bullet and I was almost about to sidestep past her until she spun around in mid-air and roundhouse kicked me in the face at the exact same spot as last time. I backpedaled away again and hissed as I felt a few specks of my dust drop into my only working eye. Instead of attacking me while I was blindingly rubbing my eye to clear out the dust, the Pirate Queen only continued to fly above me imperiously while wagging a disapproving talon with a ‘tsk tsk’ sound coming from behind her mask.

‘Fucking great! A pirate that can do Kung-Fu!’ I seethed inside my head.

I heard a crashing sound coming from my side and glanced over to see a disheveled Captain Vile come crashing out of the door of his cabin. He was breathing heavily and when he looked at me I could see that he was practically foaming at the beak with rage.

“FUCKING SHOOT HER!” He shouted while pointing a talon at me. The rest of the pirate crew had just broken through my wall of spears and were beginning to take aim at me until the Pirate Queen gave out a shout of her own.

“Belay that order”

“SHOOT HER!” Vile ordered again. The pirate crew was confused on whose orders they should follow at the moment.

“If you kill the hostage we won’t get a single bit of that ransom money.” The Pirate Queen declared and it had an instant effect on the whole crew. Every pirate who had a crossbow pointed their weapons away from me and some even took the bolts out of their drawstrings.

“I SAID SHOOT-”

“VILE… either shut your beak or lose your head.” The Pirate Queen declared and Vile begrudgingly kept quiet while loudly digging his talons into the wooden deck of his ship.

“I must say it’s been a long time since I’ve had a little fun.” The Pirate Queen said as she slowly descended onto the deck in front of me. “You want your freedom, Miss Krieger? All you have to do is simply get past me. No one else will interfere in our duel. You have my word.”

“Yeah… right.” I said unconvinced, a little jumpy from the adrenaline and the fact that I could’ve been turned into a pin cushion just a few moments ago. “Trust that a pirate will keep their promises. That’s like the first thing you’re never supposed to do when dealing with pirates.”

“Smart lass. But in this case, you can trust me. I don’t I think need anyone else to put you in your place.”

“Pfft, lady… the last guy I fought was a minotaur practically 6 times taller than you and probably outweighed you 100 times too. I knocked him out cold into the ground with just my fists. What makes you think you can take me?” I said letting my ego show, faintly hoping it would intimidate her.

Although to be fair, during that fight I was filled with DETERMINATION from the belief and cheers of the arena crowd. Also, I wasn’t exactly sure how I could replicate what happened to me during that fight.

“I’m a little bit faster than some muscle-headed minotaur Miss Krieger. I think I’ll manage.” The Pirate Queen crouched down into a stance and extended her wings to their fullest extent as she said this. She was ready to spring into action again at any moment.

I myself got into an upright combat ready stance. I willed a blue spear into my hands and inhaled then exhaled slowly as I prepared myself. I just need to get past her. That’s all I need to do.

“Aside from her natural claws and talons, she doesn’t appear to have any visible weapons. She might have some sort of magical ability if I considered how she was able to get me to answer her questions with nothing but her voice. I’ll need to be mindful of that. Other than that, she’s definitely faster than me and knows a little martial arts. Hmmmmmm…

‘If I can find a way to distract her a little bit then it could give me the opening I need to get into the sea.’ As I was pondering my next move I looked down at the blue spear in my hands and tightened my grip. ‘Maybe I should just keep my distance first and let my spears do the fighting.’

I willed blue spears to spawn underneath and above the Pirate Queen to attack her and the Queen instantly disappeared only to appear again at the edges of my peripheral vision. I barely even saw her move her legs or her wings as she dodged my attack. I then willed over a couple dozen spears to surround me in the air before I flung them at the queen with a gesture. My spears came at her like a storm of arrows with each flying at a velocity and flight path different from the others. Instead of dodging to the side like last time the Pirate Queen actually moved towards the storm of spears and impressively dodged the spears by jumping into the air with a series of acrobatics. She twisted and contorted her body in mid-air to have every spear fly past her and when the last spear got close to clipping her right hind leg she had her left wing flap once underneath her to spin her whole body out of the way.

After passing the storm of spears she charged towards me and I got myself ready for her coming attack. The queen’s legs pounded the deck as she charged and just as she was about to enter stabbing distance I anticipated where her body would be in less than a second and thrusted out with my spear. Instead of her torso being on the receiving end of my spear, the Pirate Queen instead hopped over the tip and did a somersault before she stood along the length of my weapon with her paws and talons balancing themselves on either my hands or the spear shaft. Also, she was facing away from me as she did her balancing act.

So her butt was right in my face!

At that moment I didn’t know whether I should drop the spear or should try to shake her off. I was so surprised by what she did that I actually had to take a moment to understand what just happened. Then she surprised me again when her long tail curled around my head and the furry tip wagged up and down playfully to tickle my nose.

I sneezed and dropped the spear as I tried to back away from the offending tail. The Pirate Queen softly hovered to the ground after she lost her support from my weapon and she giggled as I furiously rubbed my nose in agitation.

“Come on Miss Krieger, show me a good time!” The Pirate Queen said gleefully as she got back into her stance. She was definitely enjoying this.

Now I was pissed. I didn’t even bother to summon more spears and just raised my fists as I hopped side to side in my charge towards her. Boxing worked out well for me last time so maybe it would work out for me again. Although this time I was fighting a quadruped that was smaller than me instead of a beefy minotaur that mirrored me as a fellow bipedal. After feinting with a left hook I threw a heavy overhanded punch towards the queen’s head but felt nothing but air as she simply hopped to the side. On my next attack, I threw a heavy overhanded punch again but threw my whole weight and bent my knees so I could get better reach over my smaller opponent.

My fist missed its target again and instead only hit wood as I punched through the boards and made a gaping hole in the middle of the top deck. I pulled my fist out of the hole and continued my assault on the Pirate Queen only to have her dodge my attacks almost effortlessly. Instead of trying to actually hit her I used my punches to steer her movements towards the stern of the ship and the wall of the captain’s cabin. I was trying to limit her movements by forcing her back to the wall and hoped it could give me an opening.

I soon had her herded against the wall and she now would be limited to either dodging left or right to escape my fists. My plan was to throw a low hook in either direction and force her to move in the opposite direction. When she makes her move to dodge my fist I will then intercept her with a spear that I was stealthily summoning behind my back. Once I finally hit her I will turn her SOUL green and force her to stand still. She won’t be able to run circles around me anymore and will have to stand her ground to fight me which I assumed would be game over for her.

With her space now limited, I allowed myself a grin as I knew she couldn’t have noticed the hidden spear floating behind my back. I made my move to throw a left hook with my fist while simultaneously willing the spear behind me to fly to my right side. I had her now!

Except, I would have had her if I hadn’t neglected the fact that she had wings. There was a third direction she could take and instead of dodging left or right the Pirate Queen flapped her wings and flew over my head as both my fist and spear pulverized the wall instead. Two new holes were now gaping into the captain’s cabin and I cursed silently to myself as I pulled my fist out and dusted my hand off with my other hand.

“STOP PUTTING HOLES IN MY SHIP!” Captain Vile shouted as I proceeded to not give a damn.

I turned to the Pirate Queen who was hovering in the middle of the ship deck shaking her head.

“All that impressive brute strength and power… but with no real skill to back it up.”

I couldn’t believe it. She managed to make me even more pissed off! ‘Fuck this,’ I thought inside my head as I summoned dozens upon dozens of spears above my head and threw them all at her at once like a wave. While she was distracted by the spears I didn’t wait to see if she had dodged them as I made a beeline for the portside railing again. Despite all the rage that was festering inside my gut I still knew I had more important things to do and had to escape.

Again I was almost 4 steps away from the railing until I felt a soft furry tail wrap around my throat and pulled me taut by the neck. Both the momentum from my run and the sudden appearance of the tail around my neck forced me to fall on my back with a loud smack and I made a hoarse choking sound as air evacuated from my lungs. I faintly realized after a moment that the tail was pulling me back towards the center of the ship and I tried to reach up and dig my fingers around it to rip it off but it was already gone. I massaged my throat as I got up on my knees trying to inhale air again and luckily I found that nothing in my most vital area was seriously hurt.

When I looked up at the tail’s owner, who was obviously the Pirate Queen, I hissed my frustration through my teeth as I saw her wagging a talon at me disapprovingly.

‘Okay bitch, try to dodge this.’ A yellow spear formed in my hand and I stood up to my full height to draw back and throw the spear like a javelin.

The Pirate Queen was already beginning to dodge the attack as the yellow spear flew past her but I grinned victoriously when the spear spun back towards her from behind. She tilted her head in confusion when she saw my smile and turned around at the last second to see the yellow spear strike her right on the beak of her mask. I still made my spears blunt at the tip because I still wasn’t trying to seriously harm her, but sharp or not, my spear struck her mask with a loud ‘THWACK’ and I saw a long crack creep under the mask’s right eyehole and across its beak. The mask was still intact and the Pirate Queen looked dazed than actually hurt, but I had finally succeeded in hitting her for the first time. Since I was able to hit her that meant her SOUL would have to come out and I could turn it green to make her stand still.

Her SOUL finally appeared out of her chest after a couple seconds and its color was a fine shade of purple. Purple represented that she was a person of perseverance, but that purple was replaced as I willed it to turn green. The Pirate Queen looked down at the heart-shaped SOUL and tilted her head in curiosity before she looked at me and tried to move her legs. Her legs refused to take another step and her wings couldn’t lift her off the ground no matter how many times she flapped her wings. Her face may have been hidden behind the mask but I knew her face must have been priceless to look at.

“I got you now queenie,” I said as I summoned another dozen spears to surround her ready to strike. This fight was over.

“Yep, you got me.” The Pirate Queen congratulated as she sat down to clap her talons. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve had you before this fight even started.”

Confused I was about to hail her with a flurry of spears until I heard the most beautiful sound in the world emanating from behind her broken mask.

“La la la la la la la…”

My muscles tensed and I clenched my jaw tight as I felt the song dominate my world and attack every strand of my willpower. I clenched my jaw till it hurt but it didn’t help. I was paralyzed, like a stone statue, like a post which had been dug a couple meters into the ground. I couldn’t even wiggle a toe.

“La la la la la la la…”

As the Pirate Queen sang her simple but beautifully enthralling song she swept her wings around in a broad gesture. My will over her SOUL had vanished and it had returned to its original purple color. The floorboards of the ship deck became blurred and took on a uniform dull grey appearance and color. The masts disappeared, the rest of the pirate crew disappeared, the sea disappeared, even the blue sky, dashed with dozens of clouds, vanished. The whole world was disappearing. All except her… the Pirate Queen and her mystifying song.

“La la la… Do not struggle, do not fight…”

I wanted to fight. Some corner of my mind knew what was happening and told me to keep fighting, to keep determined. But the longer I heard her voice the more I pulled away from any thoughts of rebellion.

“Your will is strong, but your defenses are few…”

She walked up to me and grabbed my hair with both talons and softly forced me onto my knees so we were eye to eye with each other. Her left talons gently caressed my cheek while her right talons removed her broken mask. Her eyes and feathers were still hidden behind the shadow of her dark blue shawl but her beak pierced the veil of shadow. The beak that spawned her beautiful voice.

“Let go my prized fish. Let go and let me take care of you…”

Eventually, I did let go and I stopped seeing the Pirate Queen’s beak and fell into a world of darkness. I thought of nothing, I only heard her voice and her voice alone. The rest of the world was only darkness. I was still on my knees.

“Do you know what you need to do?”

“Yes, my Queen.” It was my own voice but it sounded disembodied.

“Do as you’re instructed and you will see your brother again.”

“At your command, my Queen.”

“You may kiss my talons.”

“Thank you, my Queen.”

I felt myself lean towards her. The world was mute and the world was darkness. Her talons smelt of the sea. The sea… The sea… there was a flash. Darkness again.

Then my world exploded…in pleasure.

20) A Fish Dreaming of Pirates

Author's Note

First and foremost, I would like to apologize to everyone.

I promised to myself and to others that I would get the next chapter done earlier this month on the 10th but clearly I have broken that promise by having this one come out ten days later.

It's not even the full chapter I intended.

I was editing the original chapter and it was close to 10,000 words in length. A decently sized chapter I thought. But when I read through the whole thing twice it felt like I was reading nothing but an over-sized piece of filler that only advanced the plot slightly and accomplished nothing story wise except prepare for the next chapter.

...Actually that's still what this one is if I think about it...

Well, except this one's only a short and sweet 3000 word filler instead of a triple sized 10,000 word filler.

I hope this is enough in the mean time. School has started again for me and I'll have to work around classes and my addiction to video games before I can write up the next chapter after this one. It's probably going to be another 2-parter but rest assured that both parts will come out at the same time. I've already got a head start though so I plan to have it done sometime in the middle of February.

20) A Fish Dreaming of Pirates

Only darkness. Only the Queen. Only her song.

“La la la la la la la…”

Oh sweet little fish, hear my song

Give in to the rhythm and know no wrong

I could feel water, cold and heavy, flowing past my scales as I paddle downwards into the depths. I find my objective and I search for a crevice underneath to grab hold and lift upwards. I grunt, I growl, but eventually, I manage to lift my objective. It’s heavy, maybe too heavy, but I will not stop until I’ve completed my task. Even if it killed me.

My ears ring again at the beauty of her song.

Feel your determination rise

And soon you will see the skies

Something stirs within me and I feel newfound strength coursing through my muscles. I push off the ocean floor with a grunt and my heavy objective creaks above me loudly as I rise through the water. My legs pump through the currents with powerful, fast strokes and the constant heavy pressure of the sea begins to lighten after a couple minutes pass. Soon rays of sunlight begin to appear and the melody of my Queen’s song becomes louder within my ears.

Her song fills me with DETERMINATION

Your heart belongs to the will of the sea

Now rise with the ship to me

Nothing would give me more pleasure than to have her wish fulfilled. Every note of her song filled me more and more with DETERMINATION’S amazing power. It was all so blissful… the power, the music, the release from worry and strife. Just a duty to my Queen and the world of pleasure that would follow would appear just as naturally as the sun would rise in the morning.

However, there was something within me that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. The more I felt DETERMINATION’S power, the more I felt like I was missing something. Or perhaps it was someone?

With one last final push upwards I finally lifted my objective past the surface of the sea but the sense of loss continues to plague me. It was as if DETERMINATION was awaking something within me and was warning me of a danger I couldn’t grasp or see. Something WAS wrong and I needed to do something. Something that would free me from…

“La la la la la la la…”

There was the song again, her sweet lullaby, and so once again my world exploded into absolute pleasure. Thoughts of alarm were dismissed from my thoughts as my need for DETERMINATION’S power was no longer required.

I could only feel my Queen beckoning me to rise from the depths.

……

“She is becoming harder to control with every hour that passes.”

I stood at attention like a statue with my hands behind my back as darkness clouded my vision and only the voices of my Queen and others surround me. Water dripped from my scales and onto a wooden floor I could feel beneath my toes. The voices continued to speak out of the darkness but I only listened with mild interest. I would soon forget what was said as the majority of my focus was centered on the afterglow of bliss that was given to me after the end of my Queen’s song.

“What do you mean? She looks like she’s in the middle of happy land after the end of your last song. Is she suddenly going to erupt like a mad diamond dog or something soon?”

“No not at the moment,” my Queen spoke up in reply. “It’s odd, the more I sing to her the more powerful she becomes but every time I sing she slowly starts to realize that she is under the effects of an illusion. Eventually, she’ll be conscious of what’s happening to her soon so we’ll have to think of a new way to keep her restrained. I don’t think a simple brig with iron bars will do the job.”

“I’ve got a former zebra wisemare on board who could make up a couple sedatives for us. Both me and my crew can vouch that it is the good stuff. Can make a griffon think that their wings are as heavy as iron cannonballs.”

“That’ll do. Make sure that it is potent enough to drop an elephant and that she makes a hefty batch. While we’re at it, have your crew find the thickest anchor chain they can find and convert it into restraints to tie her up.”

“Do we really need to go that far, my Queen? I mean this all seems a little too much work for one wretched little hostage.”

“Do NOT underestimate her Vile.” My Queen warned. “If I wasn’t here Ms. Krieger would have thrashed you and your entire crew then would’ve been on her merry way.”

“I’m not sure it would’ve gone that far my-”

A cold silence filled the air and the previous speaker coughed awkwardly after a few moments passed. The previous speaker spoke again but with a submissive hush.

“Of course my Queen.”

“Lastly have her outfitted with a magic nullifier ring used for unicorn horns. Her magic will become an issue if we allow it to become one again.”

“How will we even put one on her? I don’t see no horn on her.”

I could hear my Queen sigh wearily.

“Her fingers Vile. Put the ring around one of her fingers and use some string to keep her from pulling it off.”

“Right, of course. I’ll get my crew working on this right away.”

A few more voices sounded out from the darkness but I couldn’t be bothered to listen too intently. A wonderful shudder passed through my spine as I continued to bathe in the afterglow of my Queen’s song and a soft sigh escaped my lips as I stood at attention. I heard something faintly that sounded like “Yes sir” and heard a door creak open and close. Then I heard my Queen speak again along with the voice she was speaking to before.

“Ms. Krieger did an excellent job in lifting that ship out of the depths. She is far stronger than she looks.”

“Why do we even need that ship, my Queen? Granted, it’s in amazing condition considering where she pulled it from, but the things looks too old to be considered of any use to our fleets. The fish told you it was some sort of treasure ship right?”

“You’ve obviously never picked up a book on griffon history when it comes to magic Vile,” my Queen said with a delightful laugh. “That ship belonged to Sagacious Solon, the first griffon mage. Or really, the first one of any worthwhile notice at the time.”

“Oooh, that mean it has some old magic toys in it we can loot?”

“That and probably more. I met the griffon only a few times back then and there was no denying that the old bird was a genius. But Solon was arrogant to a fault and he was far from sagacious. What little magic he taught to others was a far cry compared to what he kept hidden to himself. Whatever valuables he had kept on his ship is probably protected by something we are ill-equipped to handle.”

“We talking traps or something?”

“Oh yes. Solon’s time was before Cerberus’s time and fewer safeguards were used to guard the gates of Tartarus. Demons were more rampant at the time and Solon loved binding them to his will and have them protect his secrets. He’s probably got a whole hoard of old world demons and magical traps in that ship ready tear apart any treasure hunter daring enough to explore it. I know personally from experience how deadly a demon can be.”

“You’ve fought a few demons in the past, my Queen?”

“Indeed, Solon sicced a few on me one time after I irritated him with a rather impolite comment after I delivered to him some contraband he needed for one his spells. Never worked with him again after that but I never sought retribution either. The old bird wasn’t worth the trouble.” My Queen hummed something to herself as if she was lost in a memory but then spoke again a few moments later. “We’ll use the ship in our hostage negotiations with the Hiallans and up our price on both the ship and Ms. Krieger’s safe return.”

“About that…my Queen, I would like to propose something. If you’ll allow me.”

There was a long pause before My Queen replied.

“…Go on.”

“The Hiallans may pay a handsome sum to have us return the fish to them…but what if we sold her to their rivals at House Ridara? King Stormbeak clearly has been looking for advantages over House Hialla for quite some time and the consistent growth of his forces is clear evidence of this. But all of his military might means little when the Hiallan’s have an ally like Equestria and their alicorns in their war chest.”

“What’s your point Vile?” My Queen asked with no emotion.

“My point is that Stormbeak may be getting desperate. He’s a paper tiger trying to intimidate his rivals into submission. I heard a rumor that House Ridara just spent a huge sum of money to hire some dragons up north as mercenaries to safeguard their borders. They called it “A precaution for the dark forces bound to arise in response to the Elements of Harmony,” If you can believe that tripe.” The other voice laughed hideously before he delved into a short coughing fit before continuing. “Having a hostage like the sister to House Hialla’s newest Warden may be something that could be of great interest to Stormbeak. The desperate ones always pay the most coin.”

There was another long pause after the other voice finished his argument. Out in the darkness, my queen made a sound I couldn’t interpret clearly. Then my Queen spoke again.

“No, we stick with my plan and have the Hiallans pay for the ship and the hostage.”

“But-… my Queen, surely you see the logic in my proposal. We have a golden opportunity here and we should consider all of our options at the very least. The Hiallan’s will pay good coin sure but the Ridaran’s are the ones spending money left and right at the moment.”

“The Hiallan’s will be just as desperate as the Ridaran’s Vile. Like you said, Ms. Krieger is the sister to the newest Warden of the Shattered Isles. They’ll pay good coin and then some.”

“All the more reason to dangle her in front of Stormbeak now! It’ll show him how much of a hot item she is right now.”

“Vile you may have found her but you offered Ms. Krieger to me as a tribute. She is mine to do as I wish and my decision on this matter is final.” My Queen said in a commanding tone that hushed the other voice’s frustration.

I had no idea who this Ms. Krieger was but that didn’t matter to me at the moment as another pleasurable shudder worked its way up my spine again.

“Fine then, however, I do have one last proposal, my Queen.”

“Make it quick.”

“Grinnail’s brats are now in the middle of the sea. Exhausted after just fighting through a storm and are far, far away from the nearest safe harbor. They’re alllll alone.” The other voice drawled out.

“I take it you want to take advantage of their current circumstances. Am I right?”

“Right you are my Queen. We’re on the same current,” The other voice chuckled. “This is the perfect opportunity to really get back at those Hiallan bastards and especially Grinnail himself. We’ll take my fleet and a couple of yours and scour a section of the sea based off the information the fish so eagerly provided for us. We’ll hunt the royal brats down like Grinnail did when he hunted us and slaughtered pirates like we were nothing but animals. I had a few friends that became blocks on the line for the bastard’s pleasure and I would love nothing more than to lord his children over him with a cutlass on their necks.

“We capture the royal siblings on their vessel and use them as extra hostages to milk more money out of the Hiallans,” The other voice continued. “Even if they pay a good sum for the fish, they’ll empty their entire treasury to get the royal children back. But, in order to keep the Hiallans from seeking retribution we sell 2 of the siblings back to the Hiallans but keep one of the siblings indefinitely.”

My Queen was oddly silent after the other voice finished his last sentence. When my Queen offered no immediate reply the other voice continued where he left off.

“Now I personally will take up the duty of…“caring” for the royal hostage after all of the initial business is taken care of. I was thinking of the youngest daughter Falca if I was being completely honest.”

“…”

“I’ll handle all of the responsibilities and dangers that come with keeping a royal Hiallan hostage. But I’ll gladly do it for all the pleasures that come with it.”

“…”

“I’ve seen pictures of the princess in the papers and I must say… little Falca has grown into a very healthy looking lass over the years. Having her chained to my cabin wall like a decoration would bring me nothing but purest satisfaction. We can consider it as a reward for offering the fish to you as tribute.”

“…”

“Mmmmhmm, I can see her right now. Those innocent but steadfast golden eyes looking up at me in defiance. Her legs forced open while I hold her by the tail. Breaking her beneath my talons would be the ultimate revenge. Oh the things I’ll do to her will- AACKK!”

A grunt of alarm, a crash, and a violently vibrating floor were all I could sense in my surroundings. The other voice uttered pained grunts and surprised cries as something prevented him from speaking. Then there was a cold silence in the room after the floor stopped vibrating. Half a minute passed and only a few more pained grunts could be heard before my Queen spoke once again. Her voice was as cold as the room and every word she spoke sounded like it was laced with a sharp knife.

“The royal siblings will NOT be touched. Understand?”

“But-AACKK!” The other voice cried out painfully again.

“Vile, I have been tolerant of your behavior because of your past and because of the fellow pirates you’ve saved when I was absent. But I will not tolerate your depravity any longer.”

“My Queen… we-Gahh!...I deserve revenge for what Grinnail has done to me. For what he has done to all of us!”

A door could be heard creaking open before it was hastily closed from a shout emitted from my Queen. She then returned her attention to the other voice.

“The last time a royal Hiallan spilled his blood to pirates half the sea was bathed red in our blood. Holding and torturing another one will only secure our doom.”

The other voice grunted again but this time in defiance.

“You were the one who killed Grinnail’s brother!” The other voice said in a strangled shout. “You were the one who brought the wrath of the entire Hiallan fleet down upon us! Half the sea was bathed in our blood because it was your fault…“my Queen.” The least you can do is give us the revenge we so rightfully deserve.”

“The royal siblings will not be touched.” My Queen emphasized once again rather eerily. “And if I hear another one your proposals I will slit you down the middle and feed your heart to the Leviathan. Do you understand?”

The unnerving silence was all that could be heard.

“Do. You. Understand.”

More silence, then…

“Yes”

“Good. Now get out.”

The other voice coughed and wheezed as if something had relieved some pressure over his throat and then a resentful grunt could be heard before a door opened and was slammed shut. I could hear my Queen sigh as if exhausted before I felt her come near and caressed my right cheek with her talons. Her touch was very gentle and both the touch and the new pleasurable shudder passing up my spine made me sigh like the happiest girl in the whole world.

“Thankfully you won’t remember any of that disgusting old bird’s filth. This will all be just another blissful little dream to you.”

Her talons left my cheek and then I felt both of her talons groping the muscles around my hips and abdomen.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like you before. If you weren’t so difficult to control I might’ve kept you as a plaything for a little while before I released you back to your loved ones. I might’ve even released you from my song and see if I could convince you to join my crew. But… I’m not that kind of Pirate Queen anymore.”

My Queen released me from her talons. Then after a few blissful minutes passed a knock could be heard from a door I couldn’t see and I was led somewhere new as the sound of heavy chains surrounded me.

……

“Is she still under the Queen’s spell?” Another voice could be heard as cold heavy chains were tied around me to prevent me from moving. This voice was familiar and I only faintly realized that it was the same voice from before that had angered my Queen.

“She is, but I’ve no idea for how long Cap’n Vile. The zebra is still brewing the potion.” The voice that responded came from one of the ones that were busy tying me up.

“All right, finish up then leave me alone with her for a little while.”

“Uhh, I’m not sure we supposed to be doing that Cap’n. The Queen gave us orders not to leave the hostage till she was under the effects of the potion.”

“Well, you’ve got new orders lad. From your Captain no less.”

“But-”

“Lad if you don’t shut up and get on with it I’m going to have you swabbing my deck until you’re in your fifties.”

A few more chains were fastened to my wrists behind my back before the others got up and left me alone with the other voice. Having not heard my Queen’s song for quite a while the darkness that had limited my vision was beginning to lighten up and only a single shadowy griffon-like figure could be seen in the gloom.

“Here she is, just like I told you. She’s the real deal.”

The shadowy figure pulled something out of his coat pocket that vaguely resembled a small mirror. He reached out and pointed the mirror facing me before a flash of light emitted from the reflective surface and showed me the face of another griffon-like figure. Another voice could be heard but this one was feminine and sounded awfully unnatural. It was like this new voice had the capability to sound soothing but chose to sound malicious and wicked.

“Yes, she is. So… what kind of deal do you wish to make with House Ridara today Captain Vile?”

21) Drama On A Boat

Author's Note

So in the last Author's Note I said I would have something done by February.

:facehoof:

So... to make a long story short. There was an entirely different chapter written up back in January. The data file that held the chapter got corrupted. I had to start from scratch and it was difficult to rustle up the drive to write up a new chapter after I had lost thousands of words that took hours of work.

Moral of the story. Always keep your files backed up somewhere else.

21) Drama On A Boat

“Falca young lady get down from there this instant!” Professor Ludo called from down below on the practice mats as I stood on top of the flight perch. I stuck out my tongue and giggled when I saw Professor Ludo huff up and bristle his feathers. Professor Ludo was so funny when he was angry.

“Princess, you can’t do a sky breaker yet! Your wings haven’t grown enough yet. Please come down from there.”

“Nuh-uh!” I replied as I shook my head. “Get Momma! I want to show her that I can do it. I know I can do it now!”

“No, you can’t! Get down here you blasted cub. NOW!”

I stuck my tongue out again.

“I said NOW!”

“Make me,” I said as I smiled and giggled again. I knew Professor Ludo couldn’t get me down because he did something silly last week and broke his left-wing. He can’t get to me even if he wanted to.

“If you don’t get down here this second I’m going to double your math homework.”

“I’m going to do it!” I declared loudly while ignoring him. “Go get Momma.”

“Your Mother is getting ready to go into labor soon. Your father has prevented anyone from seeing her, and that includes both you and myself. She’s not going to come, so for the love of the Ancestors, get down here and cease this foolishness.”

“Nuh-uh!” I shook my head again.

“You’re testing my patience! You can’t do it you blasted cub! Just wait a year for your fledgling feathers to grow out and THEN you can do it.”

“I can do it right now. Watch!” y

“DON’T!!! I’ll call for the guards!”

I had already extended my wings and was prepared to push off with my back paws. I remembered exactly how Momma maneuvered her wings to perform a sky breaker when she would carry me on her back and I had been practicing endlessly in my gliding lessons to find the right momentum. With the right amount of speed, I was sure I could do a sky breaker even with my stupid fledgling feathers.

“PRINCESS FALCA!!!”

I pushed off the flight perch and began by slowly gliding down to the floor. I tipped my wings to gain a little more momentum and when I felt I had gathered enough speed I pushed off with my right-wing and twisted my body around to make an extremely tight loop. It felt like I had given myself a wide enough radius to get air flowing beneath my wings and when I finished the first part of the sky breaker I flapped my wings together to do a backflip mid-air.

For a moment I was completely vertical from the ground and I flapped my wings furiously to complete the backflip. But… I wasn’t flipping around like I was supposed to.

I continued to rise vertically until I had spent the rest of the momentum I had made with my initial glide and I could feel myself slowly beginning to fall. I kept trying to flap my wings to keep moving up but I panicked and flapped my wings in an uneven pattern. Instead of completing the backflip I dipped forwards and started to fall towards the ground. My uneven flaps twisted me into different directions and no matter what I tried I couldn’t get myself back into a simple gliding position in the air.

I screamed.

I could hear Professor Ludo screaming something as well but couldn’t understand what he had said. I only continued to plummet towards the ground. I briefly saw the blue floor of the practice mats until…

WHAMMMM!!!

“PROFESSOR LUDO!”

……

“Stupid cubs. Always doing something or other to make my life harder… will they do what you say? Nooooooo… Professor Ludo is just spitting nonsense out of his bunghole. The old bird’s got nothing worth listening to. Let’s go try to break our necks and force the elderly to save our good for nothing tails!!!”

Professor Ludo continued to limp down the castle hall as furiously as he could manage while grumbling to himself. I slowly trailed behind him shamefully and winced whenever the old griffon would stop at the end of a hall, grab the wall to catch his breath, and then would continue his escort to march me to my room.

Professor Ludo had thrown himself underneath me before I had crash-landed on the practice mats and the professor’s soft underbelly had cushioned the fall but it had caused my tutor a lot of pain in the attempt. He had a hard time breathing for a couple of seconds after he had caught me but he assured me he was alright after I had come close to panicking and running for help. He then told me to follow him to my room and told me to be quiet when I started to apologize.

As we got closer to my room it became increasingly harder to keep my beak shut whenever I saw Professor Ludo wince in pain. I NEEDED to let him know I was sorry.

“I’m really sorry profess-,”

“NOT ONE WORD!” Professor Ludo bellowed as he turned around, eyes wide and hot.

“I-I I am-,” my lower beak was beginning to tremble.

“Blasted cub! Will you please just do ONE thing for me today?”

I didn’t speak after that. Instead, I just lowered my body closer to the ground and nodded my head quickly.

Professor Ludo grumbled something I couldn’t understand before he turned around and continued leading us on our path towards my room. I sniffed and slowly followed him again. When we finally reached my room the old professor aggressively opened the door and marched in and pointed me towards my writing desk. After I sat down, professor Ludo limped over to a bookcase containing my personal library and picked out my copy of Rigalo’s Primary Mathematics for Advanced Learners, 1st Edition, and dropped it onto my desk.

“You are going redo the last three problem set worksheets you’ve had this week and you will write down your work for every single problem. You will then read ahead on numerical expressions and you will prepare yourself for a review problem set I will create for you tomorrow morning. You can also expect a quiz tomorrow that will review ALL that you have learned from this textbook so far. Oh, and I swear if I find even a single mistake on that quiz I will take us back to the beginning and make you review simple addition until you can add to infinity. Am I clear?”

I nodded my head.

“Am I CLEAR?!”

“Yes, Professor Ludo!” I said while wincing at the volume of his voice.

“Good! Now I EEEhhhh-Gahhh,” Professor Ludo winced and held his side as he sat down on the floor beside my desk. He looked over to me when I tried to leap off of my chair to try and help him but he barked at me angrily. “Never mind me, just get started on your work young lady! I just need to rest for a moment.”

Professor Ludo turned away when I nodded my head and opened my textbook. He took long steady breaths and he looked down at the floor before he grumbled again something silently to himself. I flipped the pages of the textbook until I found the first of the worksheets that Professor Ludo wanted me to work on and then I took out an ink bottle and quill from a drawer along with a few sheets of paper. I was beginning to solve the first problem but my head refused to shut up.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why couldn’t I do the stupid maneuver? I should’ve had it! It felt like I was moving fast enough so why didn’t it work!!!’ I made a mistake in my work on the second problem and I huffed as I scratched it out of existence with ink before I wrote it up again. ‘Now Professor Ludo is mad at me. He’ll likely tell Papa and he’ll get mad at me. Then Thistle and Takada will laugh at me when they hear what happened. Then when Momma hears about what happened she’ll get mad too and she’ll-,’

I sniffed and had to rub my eyes after my vision got a little blurry from a few leaking tears.

‘It’s not fair! I just wanted to see Momma! Is that so wrong? She’s been gone for over a week to prepare for labor and no one will tell me why it’s taking so long. They won’t even allow anygriffon to see her. Why is this labor prep taking so long? Why won’t Papa or anyone else tell me anything? Why couldn’t she even come to my birthday…?’

More tears began to leak and a few drops streaked off my beak to land on the still fresh ink of my math work. I sniffed and rubbed my eyes angrily as the water smudged and ruined parts of my work and I cried helplessly as the tears refused to stop coming.

“Bloody Ancestors Falca are you crying?” Professor Ludo asked as he slowly stood up, his eyes now replaced with concern rather than anger. “I know I just gave you a lot of work but I know that you know all of this. This should all be a breeze to you at this point. If it’s about the quiz for tomorrow you should know I was just kidding about taking us back to the beginning. I wouldn’t dare waste our time with something as trivial as the basics again. You’ve already come so far and you’ve-.”

“It’s not about that.” I interrupted with a sob. “I just want to see Momma again okay!”

After my outburst, Professor Ludo didn’t chastise me like I had expected he would and he just continued to stand there out of the corner of my eye.

‘This is stupid. Takada never cries so I shouldn’t cry either. I am not a child, I am Princess Falca of House Hialla and princesses do not cry!’

I returned to my work and began to rewrite the work that had been ruined by my tears. Eventually, I began to run out of space to work and flipped the first sheet over to write on the back. I was just getting myself worked up over nothing. Momma was gone for a good reason and I shouldn’t get upset over this. Momma will come back eventually and she’ll come back with a new baby brother. A prince of House Hialla who will make us all proud and who will finally make me glad to not be the youngest of my siblings. I should be glad that my mother is being taken care of. Even if it means she had to miss my birthday, she’ll be around for the next one.

“Listen Falca, I uhh,” Professor Ludo spoke up all of a sudden and it abruptly brought me out of my concentration. The professor started at the corner of my desk as he struggled to find the words to speak. “I shouldn’t reward my students for bad behavior, but I think you deserve to at least hear from your mother again. It is odd that Queen Scylla has been gone for this long.”

I dropped my quill and I swore I could feel my heart swelling with hope.

“I have a friend that’s currently working in your mother’s nursing team. I could ask her to smuggle in a message for you but that’s all that I’ll do for you. Understand?” The professor said as he looked around my room as if he was afraid he would be caught doing something naughty.

“Yes, YES! Thank you so much, Professor Ludo!” I cried cheerfully.

Professor Ludo returned his gaze to me and then he pointed to the sheets of paper at my desk.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Write up the bloody message.”

……

The sun had gone down a long time ago and I had just finished writing up the rest of the work Professor Ludo had assigned to me. I read up on the section that dealt with numerical expressions and practiced on a few exercise problems to make sure I had a grasp on the material.

“I am going to ace that quiz tomorrow,” I said to myself satisfied and happy.

I was exhausted and was ready to get into bed and fall asleep. I dragged myself away from my desk and made my way to the foot of my bed where a row of my favorite plushies sat waiting for me to choose one of them. I always brought a sleeping buddy into bed with me and I always made sure each plushie had a turn to be my buddy for a night. Today was a Sunday, so tonight it should be my Princess Celestia plushie’s turn.

I remembered how I was when I met the real Princess Celestia and showed off my plushie of her during one of her visits to our kingdom. She always reminds me of Momma when she comes to visit. It seemed right that her plushie should be my sleeping buddy for tonight.

I crawled into my bed snuggled the Princess Celestia plushie as I yawned and got ready to fall asleep. However, there was one thing that was missing.

‘Momma’s bedtime song.’

I thought I would get used to it over time, but ever since she’s been gone I couldn’t shake the empty feeling I felt at the absence of her songs. It felt wrong. Like she was gone and would never come back to me again. It’s made sleeping a pain to deal with but I had found ways to help me fall asleep again.

I stared outside the window next to my bed and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw moonlight. I soon found the moon, and with it, the Mare in the Moon. The shadowy impression of the pony within the moon had always managed to calm me somehow. It helped make me feel like I wasn’t alone and that someone was keeping me safe. If Momma couldn’t be here to help me fall asleep then at least I had the Mare in the Moon.

I stared at the Mare in the Moon for some time until my eyes began to feel heavy. When my eyes started to close a yawn slowly crawled its way out of my beak. And then…

…

One Hour Later…

…

“Falca”

I groaned as I felt something softly petting the feathers on the top of my head. It was a nice feeling but it had woken me up from a wonderful slumber. I squeezed myself to my Princess Celestia plushie and groaned again as I tried to get back to sleep. Hoping whatever had disturbed me would just go away.

“Falca sweetie, please wake up.”

‘What?’ I thought as the sound of that voice suddenly became very familiar.

I opened my eyes and turned to see a griffon figure standing at the side of my bed. The figure was tall and when the moonlight shined on her feathers I saw traces of beautiful golden feathers intermingled perfectly with a majority of dark brown ones. The same feathers I shared with my mother. It was mother’s talons that were gently nudging me awake. Those were mother’s eyes I was staring in to.

‘Why did they look so sad?’

“Hello my little Starlight, I’m sorry that I woke you up. You weren’t dreaming were you?”

I let go of the Princess Celestia plushie and immediately reached for the talons that were petting my head. I hugged Momma’s talons to my chest and any hint of sleep had left my mind entirely.

“Momma!” I couldn’t contain my joy. I clutched onto Momma’s talons like they were the most precious thing in the whole world. I nuzzled into her feathers for a brief moment and as I looked back up into her eyes I was startled when I saw another pair of eyes skulking behind my Momma.

The other eyes, cold and colored like steel, were staring down at me briefly before they turned to my mother. The figure that owned the eyes were shaded from the moonlight and it was impossible to tell who or what it was. When the eyes turned to Momma she must’ve sensed their stare and her eyes glistened as the sadness in her eyes began to leak out.

Then Momma began to pull away.

“Momma?”

My grip tightened on my Momma’s talons and I refused to have them leave my chest. But slowly, little by little, her talons were beginning to slip away. I was beginning to cry. I had no idea why but I knew something was terribly wrong. It was almost as if I could literally feel the sense of dread in the air.

“Momma, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” I soon had a hold on only one talon left and I growled as I gave it my all to hold on to her.

“I love you so much.” My mother said as she suddenly stopped pulling away. “Your big brother and big sister have already received their lullabies for tonight. It’s your turn now.”

……

“Eeep!”

Light flashed through my eyes as I opened them in response to the sound. I felt unusually warm as my senses slowly started to come alive once more and I felt an all too familiar feeling creep its way to my beak as I began to drawl out a slow morning yawn. I ruffled my feathers a little bit as I tried to blink the sleep away.

When my eyes finally cleared I noticed I was still holding something to my chest. They weren’t my mother’s talons like in the dream, instead, it was a hand wrapped in white bandages that was pressed up to the feathers on my chest. My eyes traveled up the arm that was attached to the hand and I soon found myself staring at a familiarly burly crimson chest. I shifted around to get a better look at what was sharing my bed and figured out why I woke up so unusually warm.

“Ummm…Jack? Why are we in bed together?”

I had to cover my face when the sun’s rays stung my eyes as I stepped out onto the top deck of The Extravagant. However, the pain was only momentary as a fresh sea breeze passed through my lungs and left me feeling slightly more refreshed than I did before. Falca followed me up the main deck and we looked around to find that the ship wasn’t moving and that the anchor must’ve been dropped. Thistle and Hyde were at the bow of the ship seemingly arguing as they stood over a newly placed table with maps organized across its surface.

Thistle looked like he had seen better days but was surprisingly eloquent in how he carried himself despite the injuries he suffered because of the storm. He wore a new cape, almost an exact copy of the one he wore before, but he still had on the wide-brimmed hat with the large purple feather. The forelimb that had the split-open talon was in a sling and the injured talon itself was in a splint wrapped with fresh gauze. With the new cape covering his wing, I had to reach out with the Force to evaluate how damaged it was and found that while the wing was still broken it was only a minor fracture and seemed to have been properly treated. The grisly memory of Thistle’s talon was still fresh in my mind and I was thankful that I only suffered a few burns rather than an appendage torn completely open by lightning.

Hyde, however, was a stark contrast to his injured but still well-groomed older brother. His feathers were unkempt and wild while his eyes were wide and bloodshot. He definitely looked like he was sleep-deprived and when he rolled his eyes at something that Thistle said to him he nervously scratched at a tuft of feathers on his chest with his talons. The scratching knocked out a healthy feather that looked like it should not have been plucked this early. Hyde looked back down to his maps as he ignored a concerned Thistle.

I looked down at Falca and she was already making a beeline towards her siblings as I soon followed directly behind. Our footsteps alerted the two brothers to our presence and when Thistle looked up at us his concerned face melted away into his trademark smile and I didn’t need to wonder if it was sincere or not when I saw tears glistening in his eyes. Hyde also smiled happily in relief for a few moments but when his eyes met mine that smile faltered and began to fade away as we got closer.

“My little sister!” Thistle screamed in delight as he limped his way over to us to meet us half-way on the main deck. Hyde made his way over to us as well but slowly. When Thistle reached Falca he flung his other foreleg across Falca’s back and hugged her close as he pecked her on the cheek and forehead with kisses. Falca returned the hug in kind, and despite her previous promise to kill her older brother for putting us in a bed together, she seemed utterly happy to hold the foppish griffon in her arms.

“Oh sorry, I’m such an ugly crier.” Thistle said as he broke off from his hug to sit down on the deck to wipe his eyes with his talons. “Seeing you weak and so exhausted from the storm really pulled at my heartstrings. Now seeing you standing tall and proud is-is… oh, darling, it’s just too much.”

“I’m okay Thistle,” Falca said as she rubbed one of Thistle’s shoulders. She looked down to examine his injured talon before grimacing. “I think I got off pretty easy. How are YOU doing Thistle?”

Thistle moved his injured talon up and down as if he was waving off her question.

“Oh don’t worry this is nothing. I’ve suffered more grievous injuries from feisty ex’s than I did from that frivolous little experience. Oh and…” Thistle’s warm smile turned into a shit-eating grin as he looked to me then back to his sister. “Did you enjoy your little surprise? Honestly, I didn’t expect you two to be up this early. I had hoped you would at least take your time with him Falca. You both were knocked out for a whole day yesterday and I hoped you two would at least try to work out your muscles.”

My eyes widened and my thoughts screeched to a halt as I took in what Thistle said. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks and looked away as I tried my best to show that I wasn’t embarrassed. I almost didn’t care that Falca and I had skipped a whole day asleep. Falca, on the other hand, didn’t look the least bit embarrassed at all. In fact, she was smiling.

“Yeah about that.” Falca’s right talons reached down to gently caress the splint that held Thistle’s talon together before she violently squeezed it and pulled her brother towards her. Thistle squeaked in alarm and his shit-eating grin turned nervous as Falca brought him low and stared him down. “We need to talk about these concepts called ‘personal space’ and ‘respecting social boundaries.’ For some reason, you seem to think that placing people into your own sister’s bed is funny. I didn’t find it funny at all.”

“Now come on now Falca. No need to make such a fuss.” Thistle struggled to keep up his smile as Falca visibly squeezed harder on his injured talon “I was just trying to do what I could to keep you both comfortable. You both were so drained after the storm and when I placed you both together it was so cute when you both snuggled up to each other. If I had the proper tools I would’ve painted a picture.”

Falca squeezed even harder and Thistle yelped as he nearly dropped to the floor and looked up at Falca pleadingly.

“Oh come on Falca! It was only a little joke. There was no malice behind it. I’m sorry!”

Falca tilted her head to the side and looked up to the sky as if she was thinking over the apology. She then nodded a few moments later after Thistle gave a loud painful groan.

“Well, you’ve apologized to me. Now apologize to Jack.” Falca said as she pulled Thistle’s injured talon to the side so he could face me.

“Jack darling, I’m so sorry. There was no malice behind my actions. Honest! If I made you feel uncomfortable then I’m sorrier than you could possibly imagine.”

It was an embarrassing experience if I was being honest with myself. But if I was being truly honest then it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable either. I felt like I could forgive and forget. After all, we did just destroy his chandelier just a few minutes ago with our study of Falca’s Force abilities.

“I forgive you, Thistle,” I said with a nod. The prince smiled and looked back up to Falca with expecting eyes.

“I’ll let this go for now,” Falca stated as she let go of the injured talon and allowed Thistle to come back to his full height. “But we are not done talking about this.” Thistle nodded in acceptance but I sensed that he had a desire to roll his eyes at the promise of the future conversation.

After that topic was properly closed Hyde seemed to find this the perfect time to enter the conversation. The little prince was still scratching at his chest feathers and I had to hold back my surprise as I saw another loose feather glide down onto the deck. The feather looked like it had been as completely healthy as the other feather that had fallen previously before it.

“I-It’s good to see you up again Falca. It’s good to see you too Jack. How’s your arm?” Hyde asked as he sat down before the group and looked up at me with his tired eyes.

“My arm is throbbing a little bit from the pain, but otherwise, it’s healed rather nicely so far. But hmm-,” I trailed off as I looked around the main deck to find Katy’s unicorn handler and Thistle's hippogriff bodyguards. “Where are the Twin Serpents and Vigilant Star? We didn’t see them on our way up here.”

“Vigilant Star is resting in my room for the time being. It has a better bed and the poor darling was nearly comatose by the time we laid him down. He needs it more than me at the moment. As for my two little serpents, they’re prepping the blimp and checking for damages.” Thistle directed our attention upwards and, sure enough, when I reached out with the Force I could sense both Kaa’s and Xaa’s presences on top of the slowly inflating blimp.

The sails rigged into the sides of the masts were beaten and a little torn after the storm but they had a little patchwork done to them and they appeared to function as normally as they had before. The blimp itself appeared to be halfway complete with a soft, almost untraceable, humming sound coming from its center mass. A newly extended tail wheel and rudder projected themselves from rear of the blimp wafting side to side as the winds jiggled with it. If we were in a controlled port rather than the open sea I presumed that this process would’ve been completed a long time ago. However, if the hippogriffs have been at this since the crack of dawn then by the time noon comes around I predicted that we would be sailing through the air rather than through open water in no time.

“Once we get The Extravagant inthe air we’ll have a wider range of view and will cover the sea much faster. However, we only have enough fuel to last 24 hours and it’ll be seafaring from there on out. Hopefully, we’ll find Katy before that happens. Rescues out on the open sea are hard enough in the air, let alone at sea level.” Thistle said apprehensively. As he said that I remembered that we had another ship that could accomplish the same job probably ten times more effectively.

“Did HK-55 ever report back to The Extravagant after he rescued Falca?” I asked looking down at the older prince.

“No, not really. The droid gave Falca to us and looked down at your unconscious body for a minute before he threatened me to keep you healthy and flew back to your ship. I tried to ask him where the storm threw your ship but he just called me a ‘gaudy meatbag’ and flew off on that fire-spewing backpack of his. Pfft, ‘gaudy’, the machine is colored a metallic gold and black and has the audacity to call ME gaudy.”

I reached into my lower robes and found the small rounded holocommunicator before I clicked it on to contact either the assassin droid or 2V-R8. During the storm, the Fury didn’t respond to any of my hails and I was worried that the lightning strike had damaged the communications equipment along with the engines. Thankfully, as the signal went there was a response almost immediately. A small holographic image of HK-55’s appeared in my hand but the image was fuzzy and would occasionally fade in and out of existence.

“Report HK-55. Can you hear me?”

“Mast-, fwefsdgegge… contact is-… dfedfwef one mome-.”

It was impossible to understand what the assassin droid was saying and I suspected he couldn’t interpret anything that I said as well. The hologram reached down as if he was typing on a console before the image got even fuzzier and the blurred image of the droid straightened up and walked away. After a few seconds of looking at absolutely nothing, another figure appeared in the holographic image and bent over to type on the console as HK had done before. The image slowly started to clear up, and soon I was looking at the hologram of 2V-R8 instead of HK-55.

“I’m running a diagnostic. Can you hear me, master?” The protocol droid asked as he stopped typing to look back up at me.

“I can hear you,” I confirmed. “What’s your status and the status of the ship?”

“Oh, master it’s been absolutely horrible!” The protocol droid cried as he looked back down on an invisible display to type again. “Once the Fury crashed into the sea we’ve been left floating in this miserable brine as that horrible storm continued to batter us around and ruin the hull. I had to clear over three million, THREE MILLION, data packets on co-species communications within my data banks just to make room for all the…uhhh… engineering and emergency response protocols to respond and make repairs to the ship. HK-55 could’ve chipped in and made room in his data banks to help but nnnnnooooooooooo! Apparently, his assassination and combat protocols are far more precious than anything contained in my hard drives.”

2V-R8 continued to rant as I looked up from the holocommunicator and saw the griffons around me staring at me strangely. I gave them an apologetic grin and looked back down at the communicator as the protocol droid’s ranting got even louder. His personality matrix going above and beyond to express the droid’s frustration.

“I’m a protocol droid, not some blasted astromech unit. What’s it matter if I have to remove a carefully crafted data file on all 30 traditions and protocols required to diplomatically drink tea with ithorian consuls. At least the assassin droid will know 30 different ways to kill an ithorian with a blasted teacup!”

“R-8!” I interrupted as I realized that this could go on for quite a while. “I hear your status loud and clear. Now, what is the status of the ship itself?” That seemed to bring the protocol droid back to its senses as it paused for a moment then returned to answering my question.

“Power, engines, and communications were all overloaded by the lightning strike from the storm. Damage to the ship’s hull has largely been superficial but we received a few breaches after the storm tossed us around the sea. After we patched the breaches we sealed the ship and pressurized all cabins to keep the ship afloat. I diverted power from non-vital systems to perform these actions but I was soon able to get the power core back online after I had downloaded all the files I needed to accomplish the repairs. Communications have just recently gotten back into operation but engines are still requiring modification. They’re operational, but I still need to run a few programs and test them before we attempt a launch from a water surface.”

“How long do you think that’ll take?” I asked. So far this was going a lot better than I had hoped.

“ETA is currently three hours and twelve minutes. But that is subject to change as I continue with the tests. If I had more help and a little extra processing power from… oh, I don’t know… another droid with a perfectly capable core processor!” R8 said as he turned his head to direct his voice to something behind him that was invisible on our end. “Maybe I could get these tests done faster.”

“Alright this is good,” I said as I rubbed one of the small bone spurs beneath my chin. In over three hours we could have the Fury scanning the sea for life signs and between the scanners and my Force senses we could find Katy as easily as we found Hyde’s sunken treasure ship. “Keep me updated regularly on repairs and notify me when the Fury has achieved liftoff. Can you locate me using my holocommunicator?”

“Naturally master,” R8 confirmed.

“Alright, good luck on the rest of the repairs.” I paused as I was about to click the button to end the connection. “And good job R8, you took initiative and saved my ship. You’re an exemplary protocol droid.”

2V-R8 stopped typing into his console and began to stutter as his vocabulator struggled to piece together a sentence. If droids couldn't be flushed then R8 was defiantly exhibiting that behavior.

“Thank you, master.”

With that, the hologram winked out of existence as I pushed a button and slipped the holocommunicator back into my pocket. With that matter taken care of, Hyde was the first to break the silence after we all quickly sighed in relief.

“Good, we’ll need the extra help. I’ve already created several different search patterns we could consider before you two had woken up. Falca I’d like to go over-”

“Oh no you don’t!” Thistle said sharply as he got between Falca and their little brother. “You are going to take a damn break, Hyde. That is what you’re going to do little brother.”

Hyde sighed angrily before he flapped his wings and turned his gaze away from his older sibling. “Thistle I’m fine! Will you please just drop it? You’re not my Ancestor damned cubsitter!”

“I’ll act like your damned cubsitter when I see that you can properly maintain yourself like an actual adult. And would you stop scratching your feathers like that?!” Hyde was about to scratch his chest feathers again before he stopped himself. “Your feathers are starting to litter all over the deck.”

“Well if you’re worried about me soiling your “precious” ship deck with all my feathers. I will gladly clean up after myself when I help find Katy.”

“That wasn’t my point.” Thistle sighed as he rubbed his eyes, obviously irritated. “You haven’t slept since the storm and this new bad habit you’re developing is a side effect of stress.”

“Of course I’m stressed!” Hyde yelled suddenly in disbelief. “A freaking storm literally hunted us down to kill us all. Our sister nearly died. Jack’s sister is lost at sea. And to top it all off, this all happened because I brought us out here to find a sunken ship for my stupid thesis. I’m stressed because, once AGAIN, I’ve screwed up and made everything around me worse!”

My brows creased just as Falca came up behind Thistle to try and comfort her brother

“Hyde none of this is your fault. You can’t-”

“So I should just allow you to pluck yourself until your head is bare like a turkey?” Thistle interrupted before rolling his eyes. “And there you go again. Getting worked up over things you can’t control. If you continue to insist that working yourself to the bone is the best way to handle every single one of your mistakes then I’m sure even father will outlive you at this rate. You need to relax.”

“I can’t relax if I know I could do something to fix this. How can I even sleep if I know that Katy is out there, lost and alone and that I knew I could do something about it?” Hyde asked as he swept his talons around the deck to point out at the wide-open sea.

“How in Tartarus do you expect to do anything when you’re half-awake and barely able to focus on even a compass? Hyde, my sweet little brother, please take a page out of my book and just leave your responsibilities in the talons of someone else once in a while. It’ll do wonders for your complexion.” Thistle said dotingly but with a haughtier tone.

Hyde glared at his older brother as if he had just been insulted in the worst possible way. His beak twisted into a fierce scowl and the bloodshot in his eyes did much to help express the rage held within them. His wings twitched in irritation and he took a step towards his brother as Thistle timidly leaped off his haunches to limp away in alarm.

“Take a page out of your book huh?” Hyde said in an unrecognizably angry voice. “You think I should worry about my complexion? Take a load off and let others do the work for me like some posh royal who can’t be bothered to work hard for once? Are you saying that I should be more like you, brother?”

“I-I never said that, don’t go putting words inside my beak Hyde. I never said you should be more like me.” Thistle’s ever-present smile had vanished and he seemed very concerned with how heated this argument had become.

“No, but the tone of your voice said it all for you. Maybe next you’ll suggest that I take a longer break from my studies on the Nether Isle and go sate my vices in places like the Isle of Gaiety more often? Maybe I should put all of my responsibilities to House Hialla on the side and just focus on what keeps me a happy little prince. Maybe, like you, I should go to parties and let myself get fucked by everything with a pulse then act like the biggest, manipulative aristocrat in the world and get off on toying with people to get what I want. You perverted prick!!!”

“HEY! That’s enough,” Falca shouted as she got between her brothers.

Thistle and Hyde matched each other’s glares and Thistle’s now almost equaled his brother’s ire. Despite Falca interposing herself between them, I could tell that they barely even noticed that she was there. They would go through her to get at each other if this argument continued to escalate. I sensed their rage coming off them like a surge through the Force.

“Hyde, you are tired and you’re letting yourself get too wound up. Thistle, you’re just poking a hornet nest at this point, so please just stop.” Falca extended her wings to break their eye contact with each other and when her brothers couldn’t channel their glares towards each other they instead focused them on their sister. “We all just barely survived that storm. This is not what we should be focusing on right now. Before either of you say a single word to each other, think… think long and hard about what you two are feeling right now before you both say something you’ll later regret.”

A few moments passed as I awkwardly stood in the background of this family dispute. Thistle, with a sneer, was about to open his beak to say something before Falca noticed and cut him off.

“Think longer,” she ordered, and so he did.

Half a minute passed and the only sounds that could be heard were crashes of the waves against The Extravagant’s hull. The anger and resentment on both of the brothers’ faces began to fade away like a mist. The surge of rage that I once sensed through the Force had dwindled into a dispassionate current. With his anger gone, Hyde’s emotions began to drift between panic and dread. Thistle, on the other hand, was harder to read. His sneer was gone but his trademark smile had yet to return. His emotions were hard to discern through the Force although that might have been because of the enchanted pink diamond ring he wore that shielded his thoughts.

“I’m sorry Thistle,” Hyde said at first, breaking the silence at last. “I’m just really frustrated and I need to do something… anything. Do you get it? I can’t live with myself if I stop to take a break, my brain just refuses to shut down. I didn’t mean to call you a pervert.”

“I know what I am Hyde. I am a perverted prick, but at least I can accept what I am and still live to love myself.” Thistle sighed before he continued. “I am just worried about you. That’s all there is to it. I’m worried that my little brother is hurting himself.”

Thistle’s last sentence struck a familiar cord and brought up an old memory. It was too familiar. It was a memory of a time before the Force, before magic, before this world. A time when my big sister was worried about her little bro. When I was just Jack Krieger. Human, younger, smaller, and filled with nothing but anxiety from work or school. It was a time of weakness that seemed so distant and forgettable as I walked around in this large crimson form.

“I can’t stop Thistle. I can’t,” Hyde moaned as he sat down on the deck and rubbed his eyes with his talons. “I can’t sleep. I need this, I need to help find Katy.”

“Hyde,” I said at last. “Thistle is right, you need to take a break. I think I know what’s going through your head right now and trust me you’re going to break if you don’t take a nap.” Normally I would’ve suggested sleeping pills, or whatever sleeping aids this world considered to be its equivalent. However, out in the middle of the sea, I doubted we had access to that luxury. So instead I reached into the Wrath’s memories and searched for the experiences and knowledge of a Force power that I knew could induce the weak-minded. Especially if that mind had gone over 24 hours without sleep.

“Jack I-”

“You do not need to think anymore,” I commanded with a wave of my hand, interrupting the small Hiallan prince. Hyde’s beak went slack and his eyes eerily went empty as I had my thoughts intermingle with his own. The Force carried my every word into Hyde’s mind and the griffon offered next to no resistance to the mental intrusion. “You are tired and you want to go to bed.”

“I am tired and I want to go to bed,” Hyde repeated in monotone.

“You will go find your cabin and sleep for as long as you need to,” I ordered.

“I will go find my cabin and sleep for as long as I need to,” Hyde said as my order became the whole of his thoughts.

My Mind Trick had worked splendidly. I turned around and gestured for Hyde to make his way below deck and both Thistle and Falca could only stare, stunned, as their brother walked across the deck to carry out my order. By the time Hyde disappeared below deck Falca sputtered something unintelligible before she collected herself and spoke again.

“How did…you can do that?” Falca asked in utter bafflement and alarm. “The Force can allow you to mind control people as well?”

“It’s not entirely like mind control. What I did to Hyde was more like a Force imbued suggestion that influenced his subconscious. It’s a simple Jedi Mind Trick and it only works on the weak-minded. Or in Hyde’s case, the sleep-deprived.” Although, as I thought more on the subject I remembered that there were plenty of Force users who could use the Force to do more than simple mind tricks. “However, mind control isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. I can’t do it, but some Force users could dominate other sentient intelligences and have them obey the Force user’s will entirely. It’s a very complicated and powerful technique.”

“I would hope so. Was that how you made me and all those ponies back in Ponyville so angry at Princess Celestia? I remember how I lost myself to my emotions and wanted to attack her. Was that a Mind Trick?”

“In a sense,” I said as I scratched the back of my head and winced in embarrassment as I remembered that little incident. “The Dark Side was stemming from me like a wave back then. It wasn’t my intention but you and the other Mane Six got swept by my rage and the Dark Side must’ve pierced your subconscious. Because of our friendship, your mind was probably easier for my power to influence. I’m still really sorry about that by the way.”

Falca shook her head as she tried to take all of this in. “So wait, if you can influence another’s thoughts and feelings, can you also read or listen to their thoughts as well?”

Thistle bounced up suddenly and hid his beak underneath his talons as he tried to suppress a giggle. Falca looked at him strangely before she looked back up at me with wide eyes. I averted my eyes and vainly tried to find something on the ship deck that was more interesting than this conversation. Weeks of snooping and peering into other people’s surface thoughts just suddenly ran through my brain like a heavy-duty, guilt-ridden train. Especially when Falca’s mind was one of the places I’ve visited most often.

“Jack?” Falca pressed.

“Uhm…Yeeeeesssssss.” I said as I looked back up at her then immediately averted my eyes again. Her talons and feathers were far easier to look at.

“And you knew about this?” Falca asked as she turned to her older brother, who was failing at this point to suppress his laughter.

“Well yes, I thought you already knew.” Thistle said before he cleared his throat. “I knew when Jack tried to read my mind back at the top of my hotel.”

Falca continued to stare at her brother then blinked several times before she returned her gaze towards me. I tried to gather my courage to meet her gaze once again, and when I did, I was surprised to find a light blush blooming through her feathers on her cheeks. Now it was her that was avoiding my gaze. Her tail wagged behind her erratically and her wings began to ruffle themselves across her sides as she turned her attention towards the rail of the ship.

“So have you been listening to other people’s thoughts, Jack? Have you been listening to mine? Recently?” Falca asked weirdly shy. I had expected her to be enraged or accusing. I didn’t expect her to be trying her best Fluttershy impression.

“Kindaaaa.” I drawled out slowly again then winced when I saw her tail swing even more erratically and watched her grimace. “I’ve been listening to yours’s and other’s thoughts since I realized I could do it back at the castle in Horaca. I listen to surface thoughts but most of the time I just use the Force to sense people’s deeper emotions. But I haven’t been listening to your thoughts recently if that makes it any better.” Although I knew better that it wouldn’t.

The blush in her cheeks had begun to fade and her face had become harder to read. She stared at me in silence for a moment, judging. Her gaze made me want to squirm.

“Breaching one’s privacy by listening to their thoughts can seriously harm your reputation among our people if this knowledge was widely known. Magics that allow people to alter or breach into one’s mind is very illegal almost universally among griffons. You cannot discuss this power with anyone unless either I or one of the royal family gives you their explicit permission. I am serious here. Do NOT speak of this power with anyone else!” Falca emphasized with newfound urgency.

“Umm…of course! I won’t speak of it with anyone else. I swear.” I said while placing a hand over my heart to take in the vow. Her reaction to my admission of telepathic snooping was still surprising to me. First, she was embarrassed, then she was judging, but now she only seemed worried. I wanted to use the Force to listen to what was going on inside her head but my recently exposed guilt had me shame myself for even considering the idea. The only thing to do now was simply ask.

“Falca, are you mad at me?”

Her features softened. Maybe by simply asking the question helped assure her that my answers to her were true. “Yes…no? A little bit. I mean, I guess I’m more surprised than anything else. If this is another power the Force can give to a person then I suppose I’ll have to learn to live with it eventually. Especially since the Force seems to now be coming under my control as well.”

This was true I supposed. If Falca were to learn how to use the Force then she will eventually have to learn how to connect and listen to all sentient and intelligent life that surrounded her. Being connected to the Force and only being aware of one’s own connection to it would greatly limit her power over it. The Force, in all its forms and energies, was connected to everything and everyone and understanding those connections were critical to being a Force-sensitive. Whether it be through telepathic thought or otherwise.

Thistle suddenly looked very confused. “Wait a moment. Under your own control? What are you talking about Falca?”

Falca and I gave each other a look then we turned towards the older Hiallan prince. We knew we would have to explain how Falca was able to quell the storm eventually. A pity that we couldn’t tell Hyde. I was sure he would’ve been both overjoyed and fascinated that a griffon could wield a power like the Force. It probably would’ve adjusted his mood considerably.

……

By the time we finally finished explaining Falca’s newfound connection to the Force the blimp connected to the mast above The Extravagant was nearly full. Thistle had taken the news that Falca could wield the Force rather weird. He gave both me and Falca estranged looks and he laughed in disbelief for a few moments when Falca described how she had used the Force to protect herself from the Storm Entity’s lightning.

Eventually, we told him about how we practiced Falca’s power when we were resting in the cabin and his reaction was even weirder. His expression was neutral when we told him that Falca had accidentally destroyed the chandelier in the cabin room. In fact, he asked Falca to go into more detail on what she felt when she wielded the Force in her talons. He hung on to Falca’s every word and when she finished explaining the experience to him he reached beneath his cape to pull out a single golden bit.

“Show me.” Thistle said as he held his talons out with the coin sitting in his palm. “Take the bit and do something with it with the Force. I want to see it for myself.”

“I’m still learning how to control it, Thistle. The last time ended in disaster. I need time and training if I want to use it more properly.”

“I don’t want you to demonstrate how you can use the power properly I just want you to show me that you can do it. Lift up the bit, bend the metal, obliterate it for all I care. Just show me something that Jack can do.”

Falca stared at the coin for a second, shrugged her shoulders, and then tenderly reached out with her talons. A moment passed and the Force began to swell and fill her being. It answered her call, but just like before, it coalesced within her talons then did nothing beyond that. Falca took a deep breath and just as she was beginning to tap into her emotions she looked away from the coin and back up to her brother.

“Could you put the coin down or something? I don’t want to risk hurting you.”

Thistle’s eyes widened in realization and he set the coin down on the deck immediately as he walked over to stand closer to me for protection. He nodded for Falca to continue and she took a deep breath again as she closed her eyes to concentrate.

Seconds passed as a nice sea breeze brushed passed us and just as I was about to offer a word of support to Falca I could sense a heat beginning to rise off her. Through the Force, I could tell that Falca had decided to tap into her anger again but this time it was being tempered by another emotion. It was hard to interpret at first. It almost felt like fear. Her rage was like a campfire that was being restricted from spreading by a ring of stone. Hot and dangerous but easily contained and controlled.

Except, it wasn’t providing the results that Falca wanted. The coin continued to sit on the deck and only moved side to side as the ship continued to skid along the waves. Falca began to express her frustration again as her beak twitched into a grimace but she quickly regained her composure. She refused to allow her emotions to get the better of her again. It was understandable that she didn’t want to control the Force through passion alone but the Force didn’t seem to want to respond to her in any other way.

‘It doesn’t make any sense,’ I thought as I observed my friend. It was still filling her, ready to grant its strength to her, but nothing else besides her emotions seemed to provoke a reaction from the Force. The emotions were there so why do they have to be so uncontrolled if she wants to use the power? I may use my rage to fuel my powers at times but I don’t need to throw a tantrum just to levitate a freaking coin.

Minutes passed and Thistle began to look at me and Falca as if we had been pulling his tail. Falca looked a little sheepish as her brother gave her the look but she still refused to surrender to the taunting coin. Fed up, she huffed and I could tell she was about to throw caution to the wind and allow her anger to fully express itself. She squeezed her talons together and before the Force finally released itself from her talons to smash into the coin…

There was a disturbance.

I sensed trails of a strange magic approaching us on the ship and before any of us could react a puff of light and smoke appeared in front of Falca to produce a wrapped paper box. Falca released a soft yelp as the invisible Force energy coalesced into her talons sputtered into nothingness as she grabbed the box before it could fall onto the deck. The whole experience reminded me of the message scrolls that Princess Celestia would receive from Twilight via Spike’s dragon fire.

Falca stared down at the package strangely as Thistle left my side to nonchalantly pick up the coin while his trademark smile returned to his beak.

“That must be from Father. He probably got fed up and wondered why we’ve been taking so long to return.” Thistle said as Falca continued to stare at the package. Thistle raised an eyebrow after Falca offered no response after a long pause.

“Falca?” I asked uncertainly. The anger I had sensed in her previously had been replaced by a feeling of astonishment tinted with fear. When she looked back up at us she visibly gulped as she pulled a side of the package to her chest. It was as if she had been caught doing something wrong and was trying to find a way to hide.

“That is from Father right?” Thistle asked.

Falca stared at her brother for a minute, sighed as if in acceptance, then she shook her head and turned the package over to us to reveal the side she had clutched to her chest. The package was shaped like a book and wrapped in a thick brown paper. A wax seal was embedded in the middle of the package and I had to lean over to get a better look at the seal. The seal’s wax was as red as my skin and the symbol imprinted into it was unfamiliar. It wasn’t the Hiallan crest of the Aper Major emblazoned on a shield.

The crest depicted what looked like a solitary mountain with a sea of stars in its background. A single shining star rested on the mountain’s peak with twin rearing lions standing within the mountain itself. There were words along the circumference of the seal. They read “A people of excellence, molded by the mountain, blessed by the stars.” It sounded like the motto for a nation.

“That is House Ridara’s seal.” Thistle said before his smile left his beak again. “Why did you receive a package from House Ridara? How could they even send it to you via dragon fire? I thought that-”

“Look before you freak out.” Falca interrupted. “Let’s just see what’s in the package first okay.” Thistle looked like he wanted to protest for a moment before he conceded and motioned for Falca to open it.

I reached out with the Force to see if there were any dangers concealed inside the package just to be safe but noticed nothing that was particularly dangerous. The package was just a simple paper covering a plastic case containing an unremarkable object. When Falca ripped off the seal and opened up the package to reveal the object we all saw a simple hand-held mirror with a few gems dotting around the mirror’s edges. I was confused as to why House Ridara would send Falca a mirror and Falca herself seemed to be just as confused as I was. She flipped the mirror over and checked the package again to see if there was supposed to be a note but could find nothing else.

Thistle and I crowded around her to get a better view of the strange mirror just as the gems dotting around the mirror began to glow. Emerald lights sparkled across each gem as a swirling cloud animated itself across the mirror’s reflective surface.

Startled, Falca dropped the mirror before I reached out telekinetically with the Force and caught it just in time before it hit the deck. I kept the mirror a fair distance from us as we watched the clouds inside the mirror continue to swirl and started to form a figure. It became more avian as the seconds passed and it soon took the form of a griffon. More features started to take form and produce colors as the clouds produced a fairly muscular-looking griffon male. His feathers were almost uniformly white with shades of red dotting around his head and the sides of his neck. Twins tufts of feathers extended from the side of his head like ears and they held a pair of rimmed rectangular glasses to his face as they rested on the bridge of his beak. Half of his feline half was partially visible as the bottom edge of the mirror cut any sight of it but what was visible showed a coat of white as pure as snow.

The griffon was squinting at us through the mirror before the clouds produced velvet curtains in the griffon’s background and he smiled, as if in relief, as his eyes settled on Falca’s.

“Falca! You’re okay.” His voice was pleasingly husky and gentle. Both the griffon and Falca smiled at each other warmly for a moment before he noticed me and looked at me in surprise. “Is- Is that…?”

“Zalto,” Falca interrupted quickly. "It is… great to see you but you kinda just blew over a decade’s worth of secrecy. The enchanted mirror is nice and all but I hope you have a good reason for not contacting me at our regularly scheduled time instead.” Falca said as if she were making an admission as she closed her eyes to avoid Thistle’s stare. Her older brother watched the exchange in surprise at first, then there was a look of realization, and he gave his little sister a haughty grin.

“There is… and it wasn’t my choice.” Zalto said dejectedly and Falca’s eyes went wide after that statement.

“Ohhhh he had a choice,” said a new disembodied voice from within the mirror. This new voice was feminine and silvery but it carried with it a malevolent undertone that gave me goosebumps. Another griffon joined Zalto in the mirror and it was clear she was the owner of the voice. She shared Zalto’s red speckled feathers but the rest of her feathers were a stark grey and her feline half was like a black panther’s. “He could’ve told me no and deny that he had any contact with you but he got all worried when I told him how you may have been hurt. I wish you could’ve seen him, it was so heartwarming to see him run for the dragon fire ink to check on his secret little crush.”

“Is someone going to tell me who you people are?” I said butting into the conversation. I had a bad feeling about this griffon. She seemed a little… off.

“It’s rude for pets to speak without being spoken to first. Especially in conversations between royalty. You need to get him better trained Hiallan.” The griffon female said to me before directing her last sentence towards Falca.

‘Wow. In just a few sentences she already got me to completely hate her.’

“Royalty? Mirran, how could our House’s Warden expect you to be royalty when nothing but sewage comes out of your beak?” Falca replied with a hard gaze.

“Hmmm….,” Mirran hummed unimpressed as her eyes turned to Thistle and her voice turned coy. “Heeey Thistle, you look like a fabulous little tramp as always.”

“Mirran darling, so good to see you. Have you plucked the wings off of any breezies lately? Or were you supposed to be drowning puppies this week?” Thistle asked sweetly.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me how many STD’s you’ve had to magically remove this past month.”

Both parties of griffons, except Zalto, glared at each other silently while showing small but obviously fake smiles. Zalto looked like he wanted this whole conversation to go away.

“Jack, this is Prince Zalto and Princess Mirran of House Ridara,” Falca said while keeping her gaze with the Ridaran princess. “Why have you contacted me? How did you even know that I may have been hurt?”

Mirran looked up in the air and tipped her shoulder upwards as if she didn’t know what Falca was talking about. “Just a lucky guess I suppose. I knew my brother wouldn’t hold out on me for long if he thought that his favorite little Hiallan princess was in trouble.”

‘A lucky guess? I sense a lie.’

“As for why we’re having this little meeting.” Mirran continued. “I just wanted to discuss how we help you save your pet Warden’s sister.”

Now the only one of us who was smiling was Mirran. I tried, but I couldn’t stop my emotions from expressing themselves in my voice.

“Where? How do you-? What do you know about my sister?!” I demanded. The Ridaran princess ignored me and only spoke to Falca.

“Tell me Falca, have I engaged your interests?”

Falca ignored her and glared at Zalto silently for nearly half a minute. The Ridaran prince squirmed and adjusted his glasses for a moment to distract himself, then slowly turned his gaze downwards in shame. Mirran only glanced at her embarrassed brother for a moment before her smile turned smug. Falca’s expression shifted into one of disappointment but it quickly returned stern as she turned her gaze back to Mirran.

“What do you know about Katy Krieger’s whereabouts Ridaran?”

“Well, Hiallan, recently I have been in contact with a pirate named Captain Vile. He claims that the alien ended in his possession after his crew found her unconscious and floating out in the middle of the sea-”

“Is she okay?” I blurted out uncontrollably. I needed to know.

Mirran blinked, but she kept her gaze firmly with Falca’s. “Hiallan, if your pet can’t keep its mouth shut then this is going to be a very short meeting.”

Every single drop of my blood boiled in rage as Ridaran princess continued to ignore and insult me. I did my best to keep it hidden but my thoughts were caught up in a hurricane of anger. ‘Does she actually believe that she is safe from me behind that mirror? That I can’t hurt her even as hundreds of kilometers separate us?’ My gaze focused around her neck and its vulnerability filled my mind with sinister thoughts. ‘All I need to do was reach out with the Force… and squeeze. A lesson in humility will teach this princess that a little respect could save her from choking on her arrogance.’

A pair of talons took my left hand just before the thumb and index finger on my right hand could squeeze closer together. My concentration on the Force was lost and I looked down to see Falca holding my hand and staring up at me. She looked up at me as if she knew what I was trying to do. Her eyes were rimmed with concern but were full of understanding. It was as if she were the one reading my thoughts now. But that was impossible. I would’ve sensed her intrusion if that was the case.

But she knew. Somehow she knew.

I continued to look into Falca’s eyes and the rage swiftly began to subside inside me. Falca was silently pleading and I deduced that she was asking me to trust her. She squeezed my hand gently. It was subtle, but I understood her.

…

After a few moments, I squeezed her talons in return. Threats of harm may not be the right move to play right now. At least not yet. Falca nodded her head softly before letting go.

We looked back to the mirror and the Ridarans. Mirran’s smile had reduced itself a bit but one of her eyebrows was raised slightly in curiosity. Zalto, however, was staring at the point my hand had held Falca’s talons.

“You may continue, Ridaran.” Falca said.

“Excellent. Anyway, the pirate Vile found the alien and now has her chained in a cell inside his ship. He contacted me and somehow got it into his head that my House was interested in buying aliens.”

“How does a pirate have connections to a princess of House Ridara?”

Mirran sighed as if concerned then shrugged her shoulders. “I believe one of our merchant lords might be selling illicit information to some unsavory people. Some of that information may have been ways of contacting important Ridaran lords and ladies. In my case, it was through the use of arcane mirrors similar to the ones we are using right now.”

“I hope your people are taking this breach of security very seriously,” Falca replied in concern but I sensed that she didn’t believe a single word of Mirran’s explanation.

“Oh we will. You can trust that I will see to it personally. Isn’t that right little brother?” The Ridaran princess rubbed a talon briefly under the larger griffon’s beak and Zalto, rather meekly, gave his sister a brief nod. “In any case, this pirate Vile has provided for us a unique opportunity to work together. I, Princess Mirran of House Ridara, would like to officially offer House Hialla assistance in the negotiations between yourselves and these brigand pirates to return to you a prisoner of obvious importance.”

Thistle scoffed and shook his head while Falca kept her body language calm and composed. “This is quite unprecedented Princess Mirran. The animosity between our two Houses at these times would suggest that such an offer would be practically unheard of, but I am humbled to see you extending this offer to work together. Helping us to return Katy Krieger to safety will earn you much of House Hialla’s appreciation.”

Mirran nodded her head but laughed softly before she replied. “It is our honor princess Falca. However, I hope you can understand that we seek more than House Hialla’s appreciation as a reward from this collaboration.”

“This is a person’s freedom we are talking about here,” Falca said a little passionately. “Katy Krieger’s very life may be in jeopardy and you are asking for favors?”

“Katy Krieger is a convicted felon and a complete stranger to House Ridara Princess Falca. We pity her capture at the hands of these pirates but we will not go out of our way to work with our rival House and assist in her return just out of the goodness of our heart. We require some compensation for our service as silent negotiators between you and these pirates.”

“Well, considering that you’ve informed us of Katy’s capture by these pirates I’m not sure that we will even require your assistance in the first place. House Hialla has proven itself time and again that we excel in tracking down and hunting pirates more than any other nation. Sooner or later we will track down this pirate named Vile by ourselves.”

“Indeed, I imagine that you would have no problem hunting down Vile himself if that were the only case,” Mirran said with a glint in her eye. “However, I did fail to mention that Vile isn’t the only pirate in possession of Ms. Krieger’s person. You see before Vile contacted House Ridara he had offered Ms. Krieger as tribute to the Pirate Queen herself.”

Falca stiffened and was silent for a while as Mirran allowed that information to sink in. Thistle cursed softly underneath his breath and displayed obvious discomfort at the new information. I, however, could only feel more restless as I felt that this new information had considerably made Katy’s capture much more complicated.

“Vile had sought to curry favor from his Queen by offering up his newest prize but it hasn’t been going the way he had planned so far.” Mirran continued, seemingly reveling in the stunned silence she had created. “He contacted our House to try and pick up a quick sale before his queen goes through with her plans for Ms. Krieger. Also, the fact that one of the Pirate Queen’s oldest captains is rebelling against her should be information of great interest to House Hialla. That little piece of info is free of charge by the way. But back to the business at hand. You know as well as I do that if the Pirate Queen doesn’t want to be found then she won’t be found. If she carries Ms. Krieger to the depths with her then you know you’ll never see her again for a long, long time.”

When Falca finally found her voice again her calm demeanor had cracked a little bit to show some agitation. “The Pirate Queen is with this Captain Vile as we speak? Can you confirm this?”

“Captain Vile was quite nervous when he first made contact with me and made his offer to sell the alien. It was like he was scared to speak inside his own ship. It is only speculation, but I do believe that the Pirate Queen is with him on his flagship at this very moment.” Mirran said with a shrug of her shoulders. Then the Ridaran princess squinted and scrutinized Falca for a moment before the right side of her beak curved into a smirk. “I know what you are thinking Falca and let me stop you by saying that you won’t have enough time. The Pirate Queen is going to disappear with her newest prize by tomorrow afternoon. Vile informed me that if House Ridara wants to take Ms. Krieger for ourselves then we must strike a deal with him by tonight while he still has her in his flagship. I doubt you can find a single pirate ship in the middle of the ocean in a single day. You need me Hiallan.”

Falca went silent again as she considered everything that Mirran had said to her. I as well found myself lost in thought. If what Mirran was saying was true then that would mean that we barely even had a single day at all to search for Katy. Even by the time the Fury got back online and started scanning the entire ocean to find my sister we would still never be able to find her in that short amount of time. With Hyde’s treasure ship, we at least had old ship route records to give us a clue on where it could’ve been lost in the middle of the sea. We wouldn’t even know where to begin if we tried to search for them now. If the storm blew Katy who-knows-where away and this Captain Vile had a whole day to take her wherever he pleased then he could be thousands of kilometers away in any direction.

“You already know where they are don’t you?” Falca spoke up all of a sudden. “I believe you’ve already made a deal with this Captain Vile and he is already preparing to deliver Katy Krieger to you as we speak,” Falca spoke with conviction but Mirran didn’t look impressed at all.

“Falca the more time we waste here the less time I will have to settle a deal with this pirate. He is waiting for an answer to his proposal. If we-“

“I know how people like you work Mirran.” Falca interrupted, causing Mirran to finally express something on her face other than an air of constant arrogance. The Ridaran princess actually started to look irritated for a moment. “People like you never deliver upon something unless they are absolutely sure they can deliver it. You value your pride far too much. Captain Vile must’ve done something to assure you that he can deliver Katy to you on time even with the Pirate Queen aboard his own flagship. Either that or you are somehow assisting him in some way.”

That moment of irritation was gone and Mirran quickly adopted her arrogant expression once more. “And so what if I have? I merely have to redact on whatever deal I have with Vile and simply wait for the Pirate Queen to drag your pet’s precious sister away into a place you’ll never find her. If you ever want to see Katy Krieger again it will be on the Pirate Queen’s terms. Won’t that be humiliating? Your House, your father, having to negotiate with the Pirate Queen to recover an Equestrian prisoner that you lost under your own supervision. It was embarrassing enough for your family when the world realized that your father did not finish killing the Pirate Queen. It’d be a terribly haunting embarrassment for King Grinnail to suffer, especially in the last few years of his reign before he eventually passes his throne on to one of you. Do your big oaf of a father a favor and try to keep this problem at sea before it becomes an even bigger problem.”

“Don’t you dare insult our father like that you scheming little witch,” Thistle spoke up all of a sudden. Mirran didn’t react at all to Thistle’s declaration so either she expected the insult or she probably was used to such slurs at this point.

“Make your choice Hiallans. You can either search for Katy now and pray you can find her in time or you can work with me and save House Hialla the political trouble of publicly negotiating with pirates. Clock’s ticking.”

I gulped as I looked down at my griffon friends and saw the perturbed look on Falca’s face. I didn’t know which one was the right choice but I knew I couldn’t allow this Pirate Queen to take Katy away. Who knows what she’ll do to my sister if we couldn’t find them in time. Would the Pirate Queen even want to negotiate for Katy’s release in the first place?

“Zalto,” Falca spoke with a small tremor in her voice and the Ridaran prince perked up as she spoke his name. “We’ve kept in hidden contact with each other for nearly half a decade. We’ve been friends for longer than that and we could’ve been… something else, if circumstances between our houses hadn’t continue to deteriorate. Help me out here, please.”

Zalto gawked at Falca with what looked to be a mixture of sadness and regret. He pushed his glasses back up the ridge of his beak and his eyes darted around the ground as if he was trying to find an answer.

“I-,” but before he could speak, Zalto’s smaller sister flicked him on the beak and shook his glasses enough for them to fall off. They fell onto the floor off-screen in the mirror and Zalto panicky darted down to pick them back up.

“He doesn’t know anything and he never has known anything Hiallan. Your spy in the heart of our house has known nothing since the minute you decided to play with his heart and have him dance to your tune. Maybe if he wasn’t such a meathead and actually attended a council meeting once in a while I may have been worried when I found out about your little correspondence. It was cute, and honestly, waiting to use him to get to you like this has been the most satisfying experience I’ve had in quite a while.”

When Zalto picked up his glasses, he rose up from the ground staring at the floor and didn’t even try to put them on. The prince looked like he was trying to absorb every word his sister said. He flinched when Mirran finished her last sentence and I could sense through the Force the anger slowly stirring within him but it was quickly being drowned in a deluge of self-loathing.

“Zalto?” Falca pleaded but the Ridaran prince didn’t even have the willpower to look her in the eye anymore.

“I’m sorry,” Zalto said as he stared down at his glasses in his talons.

Falca shook her head and breathed in a deep sigh. “Then I guess we were just fooling ourselves. It was a good dream, but I guess not all of us were willing to fight for it.”

Zalto looked up at Falca immediately after she said those words. His eyes were hurt, then confused, but eventually they turned stern. He blinked and put his glasses back before he looked at Mirran briefly then walked away from our view through the mirror. Mirran watched her brother go and she chuckled as she turned her attention back to us.

“Ahhh, it looked like you hurt his little feelings.”

“Do you think you can stop enjoying your little power trip for just a moment? Before we choose anything, what exactly is it that you want for helping to return Katy to us?”

Mirran hummed and inspected her talons for a moment.

“Well, House Ridara is most certainly interested in all that technology that fell from the sky along with your pet alien. Maybe something can be worked out when your father comes to force a conversation between our two houses. I, on the other talon, would be very interested to know what it was that managed to wound your little pet.”

Mirran finally seemed to acknowledge my presence for once. She seemed particularly interested in the bandages that covered my right arm.

“Something that can hurt someone as powerful as a Warden of the Shattered Isles is something that interests me very, very much. So how about you start with- UHHHHHH!!”

In almost an instant, Mirran was brutally tackled by her brother Zalto from the right side of the mirror and was pushed off-screen. There was a loud crash and Zalto looked back into the mirror again to see our undeniably surprised faces.

“I’m going to be in so much trouble for this. The last known location Vile gave to my sister was 34.5643 by 181.4708 in latitude and longitude respectively. Hurry, my sister may try to warn-,”

Suddenly a tangle of black iron bands burst forth from the left side of the mirror and wrapped themselves around the Ridaran prince’s appendages. Zalto grunted as the animated pieces of metal roughly hogtied him and forced him to lose his balance. Before we lost sight of him one of the thicker bands muzzled his beak shut before he could say another word. Mirran came back into view limping with what looked like a wand in her talons.

“Zalto!” Falca cried in alarm.

“Damned love-sick idiot. You ruined my fun. Sometimes I don’t know how we are even related.” Mirran flicked the wand towards the mirror and smoke enveloped the mirror briefly until we only saw ourselves on the deck of The Extravagant. I levitated the mirror into my hand and looked down at Falca and Thistle as I repeated in my head the numbers Zalto told us before he was swiftly silenced.

“Well let’s not waste any time.” Thistle said as he got up to march towards the quarterdeck and the helm of the ship. “We’ve got to get moving, that wicked little witch is going to warn the pirates just to spite us. Kaa, Xaa!”

The two hippogriffs leaped off from top of the now almost fully inflated balloon atop the mainmast and flew down to stand at attention in front of Thistle. “We’ve found Katy’s location and need to take off immediately. Jack’s ship will soon be up and running in a few hours so that gives us time to catch up to it when it eventually passes us and gets to Katy before we do. Kaa, get ready to raise anchor. Xaa, finish up any remaining adjustments and get the blimp ready to go. I want this ship moving at top speed as soon as we reach the skies.” The twin hippogriffs didn’t react at all to the news that we somehow found Katy’s location and simply moved to carry out Thistle’s orders.

‘Thistle must’ve been taking notes after watching Falca command the ship during the storm.’

“I honestly didn’t expect him to do that.” Falca was still staring at the spot where I levitated the mirror that allowed Mirran and Zalto to communicate with us. “I knew he would close up but I knew I had to try either way. But instead of closing up he went above and beyond to help me. He finally stood up to his family.”

I barely could even process what had just happened. Let alone comprehend what Falca must be feeling. I just had my first meeting with House Ridara, the rival griffon house to the people I was sworn to defend, and it had quickly waned into an exchange of quid pro quo. While at the same Falca just revealed that she apparently had been keeping correspondence with a prince who displayed some rather enamored behaviors towards her. She’s been a constant every day in my new life but there seemed to be always something more to learn about her.

“So I take it you two were kinda close at some point?” I asked as I kneeled to pat her on the back.

“Yeah, once upon a time we were both engaged to be married.”

“Oh…wow. Uhhh”

“It was a political marriage, Jack.”

“Right, right of course. So what happened?”

Falca didn’t look at me and instead kept her gaze on the mirror in my hand. “Before King Stormbeak and my father, my grandparents sought to create a stronger peace between House Ridara and House Hialla. There were talks of marriage to unite our two families to create another unified griffon kingdom but the scars of the civil war that ended King Grover’s dynasty were still too fresh. So it was decided to skip over another generation before talks of another marriage could begin again and both Zalto and I were the youngest in our families at the time when they finally started.”

“That must’ve been kinda weird.” It was all that I felt I could say.

“It was weird,” Falca confirmed as she broke away from the mirror to smile up at me with a nod. “I really hated it at first. But, my mother set me and Zalto up on some play dates and we actually started to form a real friendship after a couple of years. Zalto could be considered my first real friend outside of my family.”

“So what happened?”

“Hyde was born, my mother passed away while giving birth, and she was really the only one who kept the potential alliance together. My father couldn’t… pick up where my mother had left things and could never really agree upon anything with King Stormbeak without mother to temper him. Zalto and I eventually had to be split apart.”

‘So that’s what happened to her mother. Ok, now I’m starting to understand Hyde’s sense of self-loathing.’

“However, you two got into contact with each other again?” I asked.

“For a time, we never really saw or heard from each other again. But I got older, and I got smarter, so one day I was wondering how my old friend Zalto was doing one day. I snuck out some dragon fire ink from the royal reserves and I’ve kept in contact with him ever since.”

“Yes, we do need to talk about that at some point!” Thistle snarled as he limped back over to us. “Or rather you need to tell father when we get back to the Isles. I knew you were a dabbler into spycraft Falca but I never would have thought that you'd keep a contact like that in your pocket.”

“I wasn’t using him as a spy Thistle!” Falca protested.

“It doesn’t matter because that is what the rest of Zalto’s family will see after Mirran finishes with him. King Stormbeak may or may not do anything about this but father needs to know about this now that this little correspondence between prince and princess is now out in the open.” Thistle grunted softly to sit down and adjust his cape as the breeze began to pick up. “But that doesn’t matter right now. We have got to get moving now before the pirates make away with our Katy. Falca can you handle the helm while I work with navigation.”

Falca responded with a nod of her head.

“Jack take that mirror below deck and lock it up in a dark empty box somewhere. We’ll figure out what to do with our gift from House Ridara later. In the meantime, I believe you will require some time with a wardrobe. Your vacation attire doesn’t feel suitable for what is to come.”

I responded with a nod as well as we all set out to accomplish our tasks. As I took my steps below deck I pulled out my holocommunicator to contact the Fury once more. I needed my armor prepped as soon as the droids have caught up with us.

Introduction Part 1: The Sith

Author's Note

This is my first time writing a fanfic. I decided after reading so many fanfics of so many different genres, I'd give my own shot at making a story. Anyway, give as much criticism as you want cause it'll only help improve my work in my new hobby.

Introduction Part 1: The Sith

"Look upon me creatures and know that I am Sith. The blood of the ancients courses through me..."

The Empire's Wrath, Star Wars The Old Republic

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Help me! For the love of god, someone help me!”

All I could see in front of me was a void of absolutely nothing. Darkness, blackness, just nothing could be seen! Not even the hands that I knew were waving in front of my face were visible.

‘Why is this happening? When did this happen? I can feel my eyelids blinking but I still can’t see my hands in front of me? Am I blind? Am I dead?’ My thoughts were filled with questions with no answers being given, and my panic seemed to grow ever stronger the longer I fell into this void. The sensation of falling was all I could feel and it seemed as if it would never end. I never kept track of time but no fall should be taking this long, and I have most certainly hit terminal velocity by this point.

‘So even if this falling ever ends I’ll still be dead. Damn it no, please no.’

As I kept falling, I started to feel something new. A feint burning pain stretched across my body and I had no idea where it originated. This pain grew greater until I felt an intense heat cover every part of my body. I screamed, and new sensations that I knew shouldn’t be possible began to wrack my body. My muscles burned the most as they grew and spasmed. I somehow felt my own bones itch as they grew as well.

When the pain seemed as if it would cause me to fall unconscious, it ended suddenly. I breathed heavily for a few minutes, and my costume strained even further from all of the stress forced upon it by my sudden growth.

“What’s going aaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAHHHH?” Suddenly I could finally see something. A golden light filled my peripherals, and I craned my neck to see the source. I looked thru the lens in my helmet to see the light engulf my costume and watched it start from the end of my toes and move up to my torso. When the light filled my vision, I knew I my helmet was engulfed now as well. Just as suddenly as it began, it vanished and was replaced by a now feint red tint. The tight straining I felt from my costume was gone now and my sight was filled with something new. The glass lens looked more like a computer screen and from the top left corner of my sight I could see a bit of text scroll across the screen.

SYSTEM REBOOT. BEGINNING DIAGNOSTIC.

Text scrolled all across my vision in a blinding speed and ended with more text spreading across the top let again.

DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE. SHIELDS OPERATING AT MAXIMUM OUTPUT. GENERATING HUD.

Familiar blue icons appeared at the very top of my sight, and a circular object with its own icons underneath it now appeared at my bottom right. I didn’t have time to comprehend what these icons were as a very new sensation filled my mind. In this case literally.

I closed my eyes as a raging headache threatened to split my head open. My hands flew to my head in a vain attempt to appease the pain, but of course, it didn’t help. Thankfully, like all the other strange occurrences, it ended abruptly with no explanation as to why and how it happened. Despite all of these strange phenomena, the only thing that remained ever present was the feeling of falling. I opened my eyes to still see the light red tint along with the icons and the circular object remaining just as they were. However, a new line of text scrolled across the top left again.

NEURAL LINK DETECTED. CONNECTING…..
LINK ESTABLISHED. AWAITING INPUT

‘What the hell, none of this still answers my questions about what’s happening,’ I thought angrily.

After what seemed like a minute passed by, another golden light caught my attention, this time it came from a distance in front of me and I was quickly closing in on it. I closed my eyes from the sudden intensity of the light and when I opened them again I was quickly assaulted with all kinds of stimuli. I could feel air rushing beneath me with the robe portion of my costume violently fluctuating underneath my waist. My nose and mouth felt the cold air thru the filters in my helmet. But, the processing of all these stimuli was put on hold when my eyes fully adjusted.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” I screamed yet again as my eyes showed me the land masses and wide ocean spread out before me.

‘I knew it! Even after all that hell I’m still just going to die when I end up a red paste splattered all over the ground,’ I dreaded as my thoughts continued to spiral into panic and despair.

Suddenly, air stopped passing by me and I began to take notice of a transparent purple veil surrounding me. When this strange veil finally enveloped me, I finally noticed where I was falling towards. A large island some distance away from the main continent seemed to be my destination, this island also seemed to be surrounded by four other smaller isles.

I was quickly closing distance with the larger island and I was beginning to accept my fate when the veil started to get harder to see thru. Eventually, all I could see was the color purple, and then...

......

I groaned in pain as I slowly got to my feet and tried to get to my senses. ‘Nothing feels broken, hell this feels just like trying to get up in the morning, how in the world did I just survive that….’ My train of thought halted for a sec.

“I’m alive?"

“He he he he he HAHAHAHAH! I’M ALIVE! HOLY FUCK I’M ALIVE! FUCK YOU GRAVITY! HAHAHAHHAHAH! NEWTON CAN SUCK MY BALLS!”

I continued to laugh with glee until I began to settle down and actually notice that my voice had changed. It sounded heavily synthesized and dark like my character from the game. ‘I didn’t put a voice changer in my helmet when I went to the Con, so what the hell, did that light add new additions to my costume as well?’

I began to examine my surroundings and noticed that I was definitely in a crater if the burning raised rock wall and fallen trees surrounding me was any indication. So I definitely should have ended up as paste if the impact left a crater this big. ‘Did that purple veil save me somehow? Just more and more questions, fantastic!’ I thought sarcastically.

I continued to examine my surroundings and the foliage nearby confirmed that I did indeed fall onto that large island I saw from the sky. I was no botanist, but this foliage reminds me of the types of plants and trees I saw when I was vacationing with my family at Hawaii. When I was finished plant watching, my curiosity over what that light did to me and my costume took precedence and I quickly took notice that I seemed to be bulkier than usual. The gauntlets that originally were made out of plastic felt like a dense metal when my hands passed over them. Even the claws that extended from the ends of my fingers were metallic, and from the look of it, they were extremely razor sharp. The red buttons on my wrist, that were supposed to be for show, actually did something when I pressed them. I heard a soft click in my ears and then a constant near silent humming, like the static I would hear from a radio. I clicked off the button on my wrist that started the static and decided to leave the other buttons alone for now.

My eyes roamed now to my chest and legs and my costume seemed to have made significant changes there as well. The black and white painted Styrofoam that made up most of my torso armor seemed to have been replaced by the dense metal as well. My legs were covered by my robe and it seems that even the cloth was changed. What was once a constricting non-stretching polyester was replaced by what seemed to be flowing silk. I took a few experimental overextended steps and the robe stretched and parted with virtually no resistance to my short walk. My hands groped around my legs and I found that my pants and boots underneath my robe were replaced by some sort of armor as well. I, of course, couldn’t get a good look at my helmet but I knew that it had obviously been given an upgrade as well if the HUD was any indication. Overall, I looked just like my character from swtor.

‘Wait a minute, if my costume was this dramatically changed, then that means that my… Oh god please let it be so.’ I thought excitedly, as I felt around my waist and felt what most certainly was a hilt. I brought the hilt into my sight and let out a gasp at first and then a childlike squeal of excitement. The lightsaber hilt had undergone major changes as well but instead of the generic looking plastic toy it once was, it looked just like the Descendant’s Heirloom Saber from the game.

My squeals got even higher pitched until I stopped abruptly and looked around in embarrassment. I then realize that there is still nothing around me but plant life.

‘Oh who the hell is going to judge me for fanboying? The trees?’ I shrugged and began to descend into a fit of happy giggles for my new possession.

As I got a hold of myself, I decided it was time to see if this glorious piece of technology in front of me was the real deal. I moved the hilt out in front of me and slowly passed my clawed thumb over the activation button and moment of truth was soon upon me.

A familiar hiss signified the blade’s awakening, and before me came to life a blade people have only dreamed of seeing in real life. The blade was a menacing pitch black color with a blood red shade surrounding it. The pure malevolence that radiated off the blade displayed to the world around it that only a Lord of the Sith may wield its power.

‘And it’s all mine,’ I thought with delight.

Suddenly, something almost instinctual took place. My feet parted and took a stance with my right foot in front of my left and both my hands grasped the hilt and held the saber in front of me. Images passed thru my mind of people wielding lightsabers in defensive movements that showed tight blade work and subtle dodges. I began to imitate the image’s movements with little effort and I couldn’t believe how easy it came to me.

“Form 3, Soresu,” I whispered.

More images passed through my mind again and my stance shifted into a new stance with my feet kept evenly apart and my arms raised the blade up a little. The images shown to me were of people using the lightsaber with fluid but highly randomized and unpredictable movements. I again imitated these movements and the lightsaber hummed through the air with no resistance.

“Form 1, Shii-Cho,” I said with an excited tremor in my voice.

Images passed through my mind once again and I hardly needed to focus on the images as the movements began to come naturally to me. My movements became highly aggressive and fast-paced. I felt a deep sense of energy that gave me strength and I leaped into the air and began to perform acrobatics such as somersaults and leaping strikes that in no way should have been possible for a human being.

“Form 4, Ataru,” I said in hesitation.

‘How did I do that? Wait, what was that energy that I felt? It couldn’t be…’

I didn’t have time to think as more images passed through my mind and my body gave voice to them as it imitated a variation of defensive and aggressive movements. These movements seemed designed to use an opponent’s attack against them but they seemed to split off in focus to different opponents. The first focus seemed concentrated on deflecting and returning projectiles while the second focus seemed to have an emphasis on blade-to-blade combat.

“Form 5, Shien and Djem So,” I said with glee starting to return to my voice.

Finally, the last images appeared in my mind and they represented complete aggression. The movements I used were utterly chaotic and erratic, with a heavy focus on offense. My movements were definitely more open and kinetic than Form 5 and appeared less elegant and elaborate than Form 4. I even let angry growls reach pass my lips as I imagined enemies daring to oppose me. This was by far the most vicious form of lightsaber combat.

“Form 7, Juyo,” I growled and the dark synthesized voice sent a wave of goosebumps across my body.

I stood still with my lightsaber raised above me and the only sounds I heard were my own breathing and the hum of the blade. I pushed the button on the hilt and the energy within the blade retracted back into its housing. My breathing quickly turned into hyperventilating as the rational part of my mind told me that this shouldn’t be happening.

‘How did this happen? How did I just do all of that? I didn’t learn nearly enough of what I just did from fencing class. Ok, think, what happened before all of this madness? I was at the Con with my sister, and then that vendor…

......

“Hey, Jack check this out,” my sister called me from a stand a few feet away.

I was brought out of my admiration for a cool piece of fan art some lady did of the Power Rangers in another booth and walked over to my sister. My sister was standing at a vendor stand that seemed stock full of all sorts of miscellaneous props form different TV shows and games. The vendor himself was short in height and was in what seemed to be an alien volus suit from the Mass Effect franchise and I had to admit it was one of the coolest cosplays I’d seen yet. My sister was dressed up as Undyne from Undertale and she was looking at what looked to be a spear. The spear was just about as tall as my sister but the unique feature about it was that it was entirely covered in a bright blue paint.

“Isn’t this cool, this is just what I need to complete the look. What do you think Jack?” she asked me curiously.

“Yeah, it does Katy,” I paused for a moment and looked at the vendor inquiringly, “What made you get a prop like that? Seems a bit more random than all your other stock?”

“(hiss) You see, I make some of my own props and that little spear ended up getting splattered with a lot of paint from an accident. (hiss) So I decided to just go all the way and paint the entire thing. (hiss) I can’t say that I was expecting to actually sell it, but it seems like it’s my lucky day (hiss).”

‘Dang, the hissing feature really sells the outfit. With how small he is, I’d actually think this guy is an alien,’ I thought to myself.

“How much for the spear?” my sister asked the vendor.

“(hiss) Considering how perfect it is for you and how I never really expected to sell the thing. (hiss) I’m feeling generous and will sell it for…(hiss). Five bucks and I’m already losing money off that so that’s my final offer. (hiss)”

“Deal,” my sister handed him a five dollar bill from her wallet and grinned from ear to ear at her new possession.

The vendor turned to me, “(hiss) So what are you supposed to be?”

I laughed as this was so far the seventh time someone has asked me what my costume is supposed to be. “It’s my own original costume from my character in the MMO Star Wars The Old Republic. My character was The Empire’s Wrath and I outfitted him with a random assortment of gear to make him look cooler and it was the inspiration for the costume you see before you.”

“(hiss) Ahh, I’ve played that game before too. (hiss) If you’re interested, I do have some Star Wars props for you. (hiss) Actually, hold on, I have something just perfect for you (hiss).” He turned around and dug into a neatly stacked pile of Star Wars memorabilia and pulled out a starship model box. Except, this wasn’t some TIE fighter, no this was the Fury. The very ship used by Sith characters in the game.

“(hiss) Now some assembly is required, but it is just like the Fury from the game. (hiss) I’ll say this is worth about 25 bucks, what do you say (hiss)?” He asked me stretching his little arms to show me the box.

“Sold,” I immediately reached into my robe and pulled out enough cash to buy it from my wallet. What can I say, I’m a sucker for models and statues.

“Enjoy your purchases you two (hiss)” He said as we walked away, and then everything went dark after that.

......

‘Did that vendor have something to do with this? Wait where is my model?’ I quickly panicked and looked around only to not find it around me or on my person.

“Damn it,” I cursed as I figured it may have been lost when I was in that void, or it got lost when I was skydiving.

I didn’t have long to mourn the loss as I looked up into the sky and realized it was sunset and I realized that I needed to find shelter soon. I looked around and I knew I did not have enough time to scavenge enough wood and vines to make my own shelter. I didn’t take the time to look for signs of civilization when I was falling so that was a bust too. I looked at the mountain that seemed to dominate the landscape and quickly realized that it was instead a volcano when I took notice of its flattened top.

‘Maybe there are natural caverns to take shelter in. Well, it’s all I got, better start walking,’ I thought as I began my hike. I also realized that I should keep an eye out for any sources of water while I’m on my way. Water sources such as rivers are great ways to find civilization as most towns or cities are made right next to them. As I was walking I made another realization that my skill at measuring distances from sight was shit and it may take until the middle of the night till I make it to the base of the volcano.

I decided I’ll take the risk and waste some energy jogging to the volcano to at least make up some time. As I was jogging thru the lightly thick foliage I took care not to trip and fall and get dirt all over my new and improved armor set. The forest surrounding me held trees that nearly blocked sight of my goal.

‘Whatever happens, I must keep going in this direction. With the sun going down I’ll have to rely on the stars for directions if I get lost. However, I may not even know any of these stars if I’m not even in the same hemisphere anymore,’ I thought worriedly.

I didn’t recognize any of the isles from my memory when I consulted the world map in my mind. Then again, it’s been about 5 years since my last class on geography, so I’m not exactly an expert. But I know for certain that none of these isles are in the western hemisphere, so I might be in the east. Yet another question to add the list.

After jogging for what seemed to be a few hours, I began to wonder just how much of a change did my body undergo. I definitely felt taller and way more muscled than before all this madness. I won’t know how drastically my body changed from the transformation until after I find the time to take all this armor off and place myself in front of a mirror. My body before was kept in shape but it certainly was no marathoner body. I had been jogging for hours and I haven’t felt any increase in air intake since I started. I started to wonder if I should increase my speed and test my stamina.

However, when the sun did a complete duck and cover beyond the horizon I stopped dead in my tracks to stare in bafflement at what just happened. I noticed a silvery glow beginning to rise behind me and I turned around to see the moon rise at impossible speeds across the horizon.

‘Can we get this question counter up to 100 before I fall asleep tonight?’ I thought bitterly.

I decided that it was time to pick up the pace and sprint to the volcano. When the sun goes down, more predators are likely to follow. After sprinting for a couple minutes I stopped yet again as a new feeling pinged in my mind. This feeling felt dark and dreadful and it told me that if I kept going in the same direction I would meet danger. This sense of danger told me to veer off and find an alternative route to the volcano.

I decided to trust this sense and sprinted off to the right a bit into a more densely forested section of the forest. I doge and weaved past the trees and came across a fallen tree trunk that looked small enough to jump over. As I got ready to jump, I felt energy fill up in my legs and my head quickly broke past leaves and small tree branches when I jumped. I saw that I had jumped way past the tree line and I was free falling as I reached the pinnacle of my jump. I yelped briefly in my descent, and when I landed back on the ground my mind quickly tried to analyze what just happened. These trees looked nearly 3 stories high if I’m comparing them to a building, shouldn't my bones be in pieces right now? Also, when I jumped I felt that same energy again when I was using those lightsaber forms back at the crater. I decided that I would analyze this further when I completed my first priority in finding shelter.

I continued to sprint deeper into the forest and when I decided that the sense of danger was far enough away I continued on my path directly towards the volcano. The denser trees covered the volcano completely from view, yet despite this, my senses told me that my destination was currently where I was headed. This was a different sense than that sense of danger I felt. No, this sense told me that a mountainous structure was ahead of me and that led me to believe that it was the volcano. As I fell deeper into this new ‘sixth sense’ I started to feel everything that I was passing. I could feel the trees as I passed them, I could feel the insects burrowing underneath my feet, and I could even feel what seemed to be the moon above my head.

All of this nearly caused me to lose my footing as I lost focus on running, but I quickly regained my original speed and soon I began to see what looked like a clearing ahead of me. I slowed to a stop at the edge of the tree line and I gasped in surprise as to what was in front of me. Directly ahead of me was the volcano, but it was the treasure that stretched beneath it the caused my surprise.

A river stretching as far as I could see to my right, and to my left the river stretched long before it began to bank left behind the tree line and hid from view. I quickly ran to the edge of the river and cupped my hands together to gather the water. I realized however that the helmet will be in the way and I quickly reached around my neck to where the release was originally before my transformation. Thankfully, the release was still there and when I clipped it with my claws I felt air pressure release down my neck and the HUD disappeared when I began to pull off the helmet. When the helmet came off I could feel my skin breathe when it was free of its covering and I sighed in bliss at the little freedom.

I turned my focus back to the river and I dropped to my knees then cupped my hands once more to gather as much water as possible and brought it to my mouth. I didn’t drink a single thing all day and my mouth readily welcomed the liquid. The water was lukewarm but still drinkable and I forced as much as I could down my throat. When I used up all the water I rubbed my wrist across my mouth to get the water out of my beard and then…

‘Wait a moment, I never had a beard,’ I thought.

I felt around my mouth with my hands and noticed that I did indeed have hair on my chin. I looked into the river in hope that it could at least provide me with a reflection in the pale moonlight. I gasped at what the river revealed.

The intense golden eyes stared right back at me and I couldn’t believe what was happening. That wasn’t my face, it was the face of my character from the game.

“That light even took away my face,” my voice started off bitter but quickly turned to surprise. I still had my original voice, and I thanked the universe for that small comfort. I guess I wasn’t able to tell before because of the voice changer in the helmet.

‘And my mind is still mine, that will always be mine,’ I thought cheerfully.

That sense of danger pinged in my mind again as it told me that whatever it was, it was getting closer. I gulped down another handful of water and latched the helmet back on my head. The river obstructed my path to the volcano and I couldn’t see any natural bridges around me. Not wanting to get wet, I decided it was time to test out just how far I can jump and moved back a couple of meters from the river.

I got into a running start and that same energy from before filled my legs with strength. As soon as I got to the edge of the river I released that energy with a jump that sent me far above the river. I was prepared this time and the jump didn’t catch me by surprise this time as I landed a couple meters away from the river on the other side. I laughed as I imagined how much fun I’m going have with this later. A roar sounded off in the distance and I started running up the side of the volcano.

So far I couldn’t see any natural crevices that looked like they could house something my size and I was starting to think I fucked up. That sense of danger kept warning me that the threat was getting closer and suddenly it occurred to me that I could use this sense to find a cave.

‘If I can feel the freaking worms making little caverns underneath me, then maybe I can find a cave around this volcano,’ I thought hopefully.

I stopped running and focused on this new sense and I began to ‘feel’ what was around me again. There was less life around the volcano but I could still feel some plants and moss latching themselves to the side of the volcano. I willed the sense to search further and it did with gusto. I felt around some more and my sense even reached across the river and further into the forest. I started to get a clearer picture of what this threat was and it gave me chills. Air filled large lungs and was exhaled into throaty growls. Muscles filled with some sort of energy reveled in its might as it pushed aside trees that got in the creature’s way with ease. Some weird energy enveloped nearly every part of this creature and I could tell that it was also quadruped.

‘Whatever this thing is, it’ll definitely take more than a few lightsaber cuts to take it down if it even lets me get close enough to try,’ I thought fearfully.

I focused more on finding a cave and my sense stretched across the volcano to find a rather curious phenomenon. Plants and moss covered what seemed to be a large fissure at the base of the volcano. The sense also told me that plant life was the only thing inhabiting the large fissure and I began to make my way towards it. When I reached the mouth of the fissure I reached into my belt and activated my lightsaber to allow the feint red glow to light my path. When I felt that I got in deep enough, I decided that rock floor here was as good as any and sat my butt on the floor and put my back to the wall.

Thinking that I was safe enough to finally shift thru my thoughts and actually try to figure out what was happening. I thought back to the vendor at the Con and wondered if my sister had suffered a similar fate.

‘Oh please don’t be here, please be safe at home and yelling at the police to find my sorry ass. But given how all of this started I can say that it’s possible that she’s here as well,’ I thought sadly.

“Please be alright at least, I don’t know what I would do without my best friend,” I quietly prayed.

My stomach rumbled at the lack of food all day and I made it a priority to find a food source tomorrow. I already found a water source and I can follow that river to see if there is civilization on this blasted island.

Another question that really boggled my mind was what that energy was I felt earlier when I was doing those lightsaber moves. Then that same energy came to me again when I jumped like the hulk over the trees and river. This all led me to my first conclusion. If I’m in possession of all the items my character had on when I last played swtor and even have his own body.

‘Then does that mean that I have…’ I thought giddily, just daring to hope that I was living the dream.

“The Force”

Do I really have control over the Force? A mystic energy thought up by a person’s imagination. Does that mean that this is all just a dream?

‘No all the shit that happened today was too real to be a dream, despite all the weirdness. I could smell the grass and I could feel the solid earth beneath me. This is no dream,’ I thought with finality

I decided that I wanted to test out if I truly had the Force by performing the most common thing a force user can do. I kept the lightsaber on and placed it on the ground directly in front of me. The blade just barely touched the ground and I was grateful for the fact that the hilt kept the blade just barely away from the ground. I then stretched my right hand toward the lightsaber and breathed in deeply for what I was about to do.

‘Alright, time to do some telekinesis,’ I thought in anticipation.

I focused on one thing, and that was to make that lightsaber float. In my mind I imagined the lightsaber floating up in the air defying gravity. After a few seconds passed, energy began to flow into my hand and I lost focus on the strange feeling. The energy was gone and I quickly got back to focusing on the lightsaber. Energy flowed into my hand once more and the impossible happened. The lightsaber lazily floated in the air, and my sense of happiness erupted with joy.

‘I have the Force. I have the fucking Force,’ I thought with glee.

I got a hold of myself and then began to focus on the lightsaber floating into my hand. The lightsaber slowly floated into my hand and I think I was beginning to cry at my discovery for my newfound powers. My left hand reached towards the release on my helmet and I quickly pulled it off to rub my eyes. I took care not have the claws on my gauntlets pierce my eyes and once I had successfully wiped away my tears of joy I began to laugh.

“Hahahaha, out of all the craziness that’s happened today, my lightsaber and powers more than make up for it all.”

I decided that it was time to get some sleep and I turned off the lightsaber. I was immediately surrounded by darkness and the only light came from the moonlight shining thru the mouth of the fissure. I closed my eyes and got ready for a much-needed nap.

14) A Visitor (Crossover Chapter)

Author's Note

This chapter is crossover between my story and fellow author DisplacedWriter's newly rewritten story of A Forced Hero

I hope you all enjoy

14) A Visitor (Crossover Chapter)

After winning the Royale and signing over what seemed like over thousand autographs, the first written to a cute little griffin we had promised to in the Pens, Prince Thistle managed to guide Katy and I through a crowd of fans and into the sanctuary of private rooms. My sister and I were each given a suite on the top floors of Thistle’s hotel to relax and sleep after we had won the Hialla’s Royale. The room I was given was extravagant with rich velvet colored walls, a beautiful crystal chandelier like the one in the arena’s Blood Room, and plush furniture with pillows that were meant to accommodate varying races. The bathroom had all the standard commodities I was familiar with, but the massive shower inside took my breath away. The shower’s width was incredibly long with a fancy marble floor and a shower head that looked like it was meant to spew out a small waterfall. It easily accommodated my height and the shower’s calming warm waters quickly soothed every muscle in my body as I turned the nozzle.

After I finished applying shampoo and washed out every piece of sand that clung to my body from the arena, I sat on the shower’s marble floor and meditated on today’s events as water continued to pour across my shoulders. It was exhilarating using my powers in an actual fight and Katy’s prowess in her battle with Steel Horn was simply amazing. Through sheer determination alone she managed to beat that behemoth of a minotaur with just her bare hands and that instance when she rose her broken body from the ground gave me a glimpse of an aspect of the Force that I had yet to tap into.

The Light.

Or to be more specific, the Light Side of the Force. Using the Force as my eyes, I saw raw power coursing through her body as the unity of support from the arena’s audience filled her with the strength to fight. Whether this power was DETERMINATION native to Undertale or magic native to this world, the Light emanated through her regardless. It was like glimpsing into the heart of a star. This was a hint of how powerful Katy could be, and before the fight ended and the Light began to dim, I saw how close Katy was to becoming The Undying. Her battles in the arena were a true test of her new powers.

I however, found my battles in the arena to be…lacking. True I had put into practice a few techniques I had learned from Darth Malgus’s holocron, but I never truly felt like I being properly challenged in that arena. No limits were tested, my rage was unleashed for only a few brief moments, and the strongest gladiator in that entire Royale was claimed by Katy. Despite the immense pride I felt for my sister, I still felt a little jealous that she was the one to push the boundaries of her new powers.

I have taken the form of powerful Sith Lord, a Sith Lord from an MMO game with a mountain of content to show how powerful he truly was. The Wrath defeated armies on several different planets and would then conquer said planets for the glory of the Sith Empire. Hundreds of Jedi and rival Sith tested their lightsabers against the Wrath and fell to his blade. Whether it was Hutt crime lords, enhanced alien super soldiers, ancient Sith who could terrify entire galaxies, or even monstrous terrors straight from a Lovecraftian novel, they all fell to the Empire’s Wrath.

So with all that power and experience now mine to possess, I test it on some amateur fighters from the lowest brackets of an arena? No, I need a real test. A test to observe what my limits are and what needs to improve if I want to possess the knowledge in my token. But how can I test this safely? Despite my control over the Dark Side, (and by control I mean that I haven’t accidentally killed anyone yet), I’m still a little hesitant to go all out on somebody. The first one I’ve met that could probably take a Sith Lord’s beating was Steel Horn and he probably won’t be able to fight for at least a few weeks after what Katy did to him. No, I need someone else to test my strength on, and I would prefer if it wasn’t my sister or one of the Bronze gladiators I was currently ranked with. There has to be someone in this world of mighty magics that could help me test the limits of my power.

…
…
…

“Actually who said it had to be someone from my world?” I thought out loud.

I turned off the shower and dried myself off with a silk towel that had the initials TA stitched into it, then walked out into the suite. I approached my bed which had my clothes neatly laid upon it and next to my lower robes rested a pyramidal holocron with Sith hieroglyphics etched into its sides. My token housed not only Valkorion’s vast trove of knowledge on the Force, but Valkorion also said that The Merchant gave the token knowledge of the multiverse as well.

“The Merchant gifted this holocron with knowledge of the multiverse and the many Displaced that reside within it. When the situation becomes necessary, I will enlighten you on any questions you may have about the multiverse.” I recalled.

Katy has already been summoned by another Displaced, Gregar I believe was his name, and I could summon one of my fellow Displaced to help me find the limits of my strength. There has to be someone else out there who was displaced as similarly as Katy and I were. Changed into robust characters from fictional worlds as strange and magical as Undertale or Star Wars.

But would they be willing to help me? I could already imagine it now.

“HI! My name is Jack and I summoned you to my world so we could beat the crap out of each other. Won’t that be fun! But don’t worry, it’s just so I can find out how strong I really am.”

While I won’t word it exactly like that, it is still the basic premise of what I want. Whether they would be willing to help me or not, I won’t know unless I actually try to summon a Displaced.

Succeed or fail, this will be an interesting experiment nonetheless.

……

“You’re sure that this is the place?” I asked Valkorion as he walked alongside me.

“I am, there is a token of another Displaced hidden here.” The holocron guardian answered, phasing invisibly through island dwellers as we passed them on the street.

It was the next morning and I had successfully managed to summon Valkorion from my token to question him on the subject of summoning other Displaced. At first I was apprehensive, Valkorion had so far only offered up information on a whim and I expected him to turn away from my questions as soon as I asked them. But surprisingly he actually did answer my questions and even more surprisingly told me that there was a token nearby on the island itself. After I told Katy that I was leaving the hotel to tour the island by myself for a little while, I pocketed a little bit of the prize money I earned from the Royale and took to the streets in search of the token with Valkorion. Keeping my plans to myself.

I didn’t want to tell anyone that I was summoning another Displaced like Katy and I unless I was absolutely sure that I could. No sense in alarming anyone if it turned out I couldn’t actually follow through with my plans. However, I was beginning to regret that decision, because as soon as I stepped out of the hotel I was immediately mobbed by the island’s populous.

Hundreds of adoring new fans or curious tourists bombarded me with questions or requests for autographs on every street corner I turned and I chastised myself for not anticipating this. Either of Princess Falca’s or Prince Thistle’s presences could have warded off the crowd if I had asked one of them to accompany me but I neglected that my newfound celebrity-like status would attract such a crowd. It was tiresome but I eventually managed to reach my location half a kilometer and a hundred autographs later. The entire experience gave me a newfound respect for famous celebrities everywhere.

The location that Valkorion had directed me to was a trinket store found in one of the Isle of Gaiety’s shopping districts. The store had various miscellaneous items displayed on its windows and at first glance they all seemed like beautiful works from ages long past. A glass vase with the visage of a grand dragon painted onto its surface, or a gnarled staff made from seemingly ancient oak. They all appeared to be marvelous works from masterful artisans and had price tags to match their magnificence. But when I examined the pieces closer I found them to actually be beautifully crafted fads. The dragon on the glass vase was made from cheap paint and I sensed that the wood deep inside the staff was incredibly warped after analyzing it with the Force. I deduced that the shop was actually fraudulent in nature and its goal was to sell worthless junk to gullible tourists. I hoped Valkorion was right about this place.

“I’ll leave you to it then, my work here is done,” Valkorion said as he faded away back to his holocron.

I sighed at his departure and bent down so I could access the shop’s door, many of these buildings had doors that were too small for someone my size. The shop’s sent reminded me of old books and it seemed to enhance the store’s credibility of being an antique trinket shop despite the falsehood I knew it to be. Past the shelves of numerous other false antiques and trinkets was an aged griffin sitting behind a wooden counter focused on a book. Despite my entrance, he didn’t even seem to notice my arrival even as I walked up to his counter.

‘How distracted does one have to be to not notice a giant red man standing before them?’ I pondered. It must have been a good book.

Behind the distracted old griffin was the token I was searching for, it had to be. I could sense its magic radiating from it as it seemingly stared back at me. It was familiar but I couldn’t quite place where I had seen it last.

‘Was it from a video game? Yes… No… was it from something that I had played once before at my cousin’s house?’ The tokens origin continued to evade me.

It was a necklace of some kind with a strange eye carved into a stone pendant. The eye’s pupil was a hollow hole and no matter how long I stared at the blasted thing it couldn’t rekindle my memory. It must have been from a video game I played a long time ago, or maybe Katy had played the game and I just merely watched her play it when I was really young. Maybe I’ll ask Katy when I return, but for now, I need to obtain the token first before I can examine it further.

I cleared my throat to gain the old griffin’s attention but he still didn’t look up. I chuckled humorously at how focused the griffin’s attention was to his book and it almost pained me to pull him away from it. With a wave of my hand, the Force compelled the book to slam shut and the old griffin squaked in surprise at my sudden interruption.

“WHAT IN THE BLUE BLAZES!!! *CAWWW* Did Gren forget to shut the Ancestors damned window again. I swear I-” The old griffin had finally looked up to see that he had a customer. But not just any customer, the Warden of the Shattered Isles.

“Oh, sweet Ancestors bless my old heart, the Warden has come into my shop. MY shop of all place he chooses! *CAWWW* Please forgive me, my lord, this old bird is not as good a host as he should be.” The old griffin exclaimed as he walked around the counter to bow to me.

“It’s quite alright I assure you,” I said with a smile. “Good books are hard to pull away from.”

“But still… my lord I should be diligent when someone such as yourself enters my store.” The old griffin rose slowly from his bow and looked at me with a confused expression.”Sooo… why have you come to my store my lord?”

“Why to buy something of course. That necklace over there has caught my eye and I wish to purchase it from you.” I answered

The old griffin’s eyes widened in surprise and looked at the necklace in bafflement. Using the Force I glimpsed into his surface thoughts to see what had him so baffled.

‘That crappy little thing?’ The old griffin thought. ‘I haven’t even begun to paint over it yet and he wants something I found on the side of the road?

My smile widened and I almost laughed at the old griffin’s ignorance of the item he possessed. That ‘crappy little thing’ was the key to summoning a being from another universe. Out of all the fake trinkets inside his shop, this token undoubtedly was the most valuable item among them.

“V-very well my lord! You have chosen well, quite well indeed! This little artifact came straight from an excavation of an old temple found within the confines of Equestria's dreaded Everfree Forest. The brave archeologists there found this necklace to be made from impossibly powerful magic and it is said to release its power to the owner who whistles to it a special little song. But no song has ever been discovered for it as of yet, so the archeologists gave this wonderous little artifact to me since no one could uncover its power. Parting with such a powerful artifact will cost me quite dearly, and if were to put a price on it I would say it would cost maybe… 1500 bits.”

I had to suppress my surprise at the boldness this old griffin had within him. He was obviously lying through his beak, but I could understand why he would do so. I’m a wealthy man as Warden of the Shattered Isles and my victory at the Hialla’s Royale had scored me an impressive sum of cash. 1500 bits was nothing to my wallet and the old griffin probably expected me to just pay for the overpriced necklace without a care. In an earlier time I would have just paid for it outright and be on my way, but considering my bad decisions when it comes to making deals with merchants, it’s clear that I need to work on negotiating better deals for myself.

I stroked my chin in consideration for the old griffin’s offer and gazed at the token in mock disdain.

“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “I really just want it as a small gift for my sister, but I don’t think I should pay that much for it.”

“Weeeelllllll, if it is a gift for a family member, maybe I can lower the price just a tad. 1300 sound okay?”

“Hmmmm, I just don’t think so. You see I found other trinket stores like this one in other shopping districts and I think they can offer me a better price on other necklaces. Are you sure you can’t lower it some more? Maybe around… 150 perhaps?”

The old griffin’s eyes widened and he ruffled his feathers at my counter offer.

“B-b-but my lord, this is an artifact of incredible power. Surely you can’t ask me to part with it at such a low sum?” He asked with a crumbling smile.

I shrugged my shoulders and silently began to walk towards the door, hoping he would fall for my bait.

“*CAWWW*!!! Wait my lord wait. Ummm… we can still make a deal, how about 200 bits AND an autograph for my grandcub Gren. He loves arena gladiators and he loved your performance last night. Please, my lord, don’t ask me to lower the price any further, I beg you.”

The old griffin bowed low again almost to show how desperate he was. It was a tactic to draw out pity from me and I would have applauded the old griffin’s strategic manipulation if I wasn’t trying to keep up the appearance of an uninterested customer.

“Oh very well then, 200 it is and I’ll gladly give your grandson an autograph.”

……

Deep within the confines of the Fury the ship’s droid occupants went about their daily maintenance and awaited their master’s command. With little to do, and no meatbags to play with, HK-55 contemplated asking his master to shut him down till he finally had work for him to do. An assassin droid should be out in the field eliminating targets instead of working on a ship like a common protocol droid. Luckily, his master had just thought of something for him to do.

The Fury’s communications holoterminal had sprung to life with his master’s image in holographic form. Both HK-55 and 2V-R8 rushed to the terminal and awaited their Sith master’s orders.

“I am in need of both of your services, come to my location at once. A griffin chariot has been sent to the ship as transport.”

“Joyful Statement: Oh master, thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you.” The deadly killing machine exclaimed as thoughts of shutting himself down left his core processor.

……

The token laid upon the floor of the hotel suite as I contemplated the consequences of what may or may not happen. While this other Displaced may be a kindred spirit like me as a human being who was thrown from their life and into a new universe, I couldn’t predict what they would be like in person. For all I knew this other Displaced could be some madman or gentle soul for all I knew. However, I was committed to my course of action and I was determined to see it through till the end. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to take precautions.

Which was why I summoned my two droids from the Fury. 2V-R8 was to observe my meeting with the other Displaced and record it into his hard drive and write a log of the meeting into my journal. This experiment of my mine should have digital and physical records. HK-55, on the other hand, was to be my backup should the other Displaced appear to be hostile. He’ll stand in the corner of the room tactically cloaked with a blaster rifle in hand and will fire stun bolts on the other Displaced should I give the order.

I will summon the Displaced armed with nothing except the Force and hope that the other Displaced takes my approach with no weapons as a good sign of non-hostility. With HK-55 at my side, I will offer one hand while arming the other.

“2V-R8 begin log.”

“Yes master.”

“The token appears to be enchanted with some form of magic that my Force sensitive senses can detect. The magic is foreign to me, and I can’t begin to hypothesize what kind of Displaced lies on the other end of this token. It is my hope that through this experiment I will begin to take my first steps into discovering more about this crazy situation me and my sister have been placed into. Maybe this fellow Displaced will be able to offer me more information on how entities like The Merchant displace people into a world from a cartoon show. Or they’ll know just as little as I do.”

“The second purpose of this experiment is to ask this other Displaced to help me understand just how skilled I am with my newfound powers. Am I truly a man who understands the vast strength and power this new Sith body offers or am I merely a child inhabiting a powerful man’s skin. The memories and experiences I’ve obtained from this body’s neural implant have helped me quickly understand this body’s power but I’ve yet to put that knowledge to a worthy test. Perhaps this Displaced will have suitable skills to test me if they choose to help me in this matter. We shall see soon enough.”

I levitated the token off of the floor and into my hand. The stone was cold and smooth to the touch.

“Let us begin.”

I focused on the token’s magic and willed it to reveal how I may summon its owner. Valkorion had said that, like my own token, a message left by the Displaced will show how I may summon them. After filling the pendant with the Force, images and meanings touched the cortex of my mind and I allowed them in to show me what I needed to do.

I first heard a sweet song echo through my thoughts and I felt its rhythms fill the stone in my hand.

‘The token needs a song first. Hmmm, that old con artist almost had it right.’ I pondered curiously as I considered the token’s requirement. I couldn’t hold a tune for the life of me and I never really learned how to use an instrument. Now I regretted not following my sister into band class when I was in high school.

Then I saw a wolf with a strange symbol on his head stride through an empty void towards me. The wolf stops and stares at me, as if in judgment, and then a light shines from the beast and spawns forth an inexplicable figure.

‘The wolf is the Displaced or its herald, and it will judge whether it is safe for them to come to my world.’

That was the last of the token’s message and I had 2V-R8 record events and my thoughts on the matter. After considering the token’s requirements I figured now would be the best time to get Katy involved. I still wanted her opinion on the token’s possible video game origin and she was the only one nearby I knew who could play adequate music. I told the droids to wait for me and I left my suite to walk over to Katy’s across the hall. I knocked on her door and a few seconds later Katy opened it with a banana in hand. The banana reminded me that I still haven’t had breakfast yet.

“What’s up Jack?” Katy asked as she peeled the banana.

“I need your help with something, does this stone pendant remind you of anything?” I asked while holding out the token so Katy could see it.

Katy took a bite out of her banana as she studied the pendant with her one eye, then did a double take in surprise. Her jaw dropped and she looked back up at me as if I had done something impossible.

“Jack! How in the world did you find a Howling Stone?”

“What’s a Howling Stone?”

“Don’t you remember? It’s from The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess game. You use to watch me play it remember?”

It suddenly came back to me. I was probably eight at the time and I remember that Twilight Princess was one of the games I liked to watch Katy play when it came out somewhere in the early two thousands. I was fond of those memories because on nights after school Katy and I would pop 2 or 3 bowls of popcorn and take turns playing video games on the couch. Twilight Princess was probably my first introduction to the Legend of Zelda franchise but Katy had been a fan of it since I was two.

“Ahh, now I remember, the hero Link would transform into a wolf and howl at howling stones so it would transport him to another landscape right?” I asked, the wolf from the token’s images making much more sense.

“Right, but still, how did you find one Jack?” Katy asked as she continued to examine the Howling Stone.

I quickly explained what the token was and how I found it. I also explained what my intentions were with it and Katy took it all in stride.

“Well, at least that old fart in your token is finally being useful for once. Might not give you all his secrets on the Force, but at least he can work as a tracker for other Displaced tokens. So how do you plan to summon our fellow Displaced?”

“The token requires a song in order to work and since you’re the musical one in our family I figured I would ask you to do the song.”

“Well I’m flattered Jack but the songs from Legend of Zelda mostly require instruments rather than vocals. I think I can remember how to play a few of the game’s songs with a piano but I don’t have one of those just sitting in my pocket.”

As I considered our conundrum I remembered that there was a jazz band playing in TheDeep’s Reprieve cafe when we arrived at Thistle’s hotel last night. A plan started to form in my head and I asked Katy to follow me to Prince Thistle’s private suite so I could ask him for a favor.

……

The main dining room of The Deep’s Reprieve was quiet and the only souls occupying it were me, Katy, my droids and its owner Prince Thistle. The cafe was temporarily closed off from the rest of the hotel and the prince made sure that his staff would give us enough privacy to perform my experiment. The triangle stage in the corner of the dining room held a wooden acoustic piano for Katy to use and she began to practice a few notes before she decided upon a song to summon the other Displaced.

After I told Thistle what I was planning to do he excitedly told us that he would allow us to use his cafe so long as we brought him along so he could see what happens. Instead of the suit he had on last night, the prince now wore an intricate olive green robe that complemented his midnight purple feathers. A golden silk sash hugged his flanks and the black ribbon tied to his tail was replaced with an olive green one with golden lace. He still wore the same rings on his talons and he idly gazed at them as he asked me a question.

“Now are you quite sure this will work darling?” Prince Thistle asked me as Katy played the first few notes of a song and would pause to play it again till she felt that she got it right.

“I’m confident that it will, although I’m not too sure what this other Displaced will be like in person. Are you sure you want to stay and watch, this other Displaced could prove to be hostile?”

“Why should I be afraid when I have two other dashing Displaced ready to protect me at a moment’s notice?” Thistle answered as he walked around me to hide behind my lower robe, causing me to chuckle.

“Don’t worry about me darling,” Thistle continued as he took a seat next to a dining table. “I can take care of myself. Besides, dangerous or not, another exotic alien visiting our world is something that I desperately want to see, especially if they are as voluptuous as you two treasures.”

“Well, we’ll see soon enough won’t we,” Katy said as she cracked her knuckles, ready to play us a song. “Got any requests Jack?”

“You're the expert on Legend of Zelda. Which song do you think suits me as the summoner?”

Katy twirled her long red hair between her fingers as she considered me for a moment. Then when it came to her and she gave me a thumbs up.

“I got it.”

I looked around the room one more time before Katy started and I made sure that my droids were ready. 2V-R8 stood at attention a couple meters away from me with my journal in hand and HK-55 remained cloaked against the walls of the cafe ready to be called into action if needed. Everything was in place.

“The song I’ll play is called Song of Storms.”

With that Katy’s hands danced across the piano’s keys and the song’s notes filled the room with a beautiful melody. Slow and methodical at first, the song transitioned into a mildly powerful sequence and would then transition back into its slow methodical state to repeat itself. My head bobbed slightly side to side as I stood there entranced by the song but I soon took notice of a glow emitting from the Howling Stone. The song was working and it was time to finally meet my fellow Displaced. I sat the token on the ground and waited for the next step.

As Katy’s song fell silent, a melody filled the air once more and was followed by the howl of a proud beast. Magic within the air began to swirl and tear reality, soon filling the room to the brim with a gale of green energy. Suddenly, a spectral wolf leaped out of thin air and landed in front of me in a proud posture. At a glance, it looked like a wolf, but there was something rather off about the creature. The top of its fur was red in color with swirls of green at it sides much like the energy that radiated from the stone. On its forehead was a strange glowing red symbol I couldn’t recognize and adorning its ears were blue earrings with its right ear marred by the claw marks of some beast. More scars blemished its face and the rest of its appearance was much like you would find in a normal grey wolf. As the beast looked up and stared at me with intelligent blue eyes, it suddenly crouched low to the ground as if threatened by something.

Katy rose from the piano slowly, awed by the wolf as it stood in the center of the cafe. She rose her hand as if wanting to pet the wolf’s fur but stopped herself once she saw it lower itself to the ground. Prince Thistle remained in his chair with his talons clawing at the edges of his seat, anticipation and excitement expressing themselves on his beak. I double checked to see if 2V-R8 was writing this all down and I saw him writing fanatically into my journal while his visual sensors never left me or the wolf. I looked back down at the wolf and cleared my throat to prepare my greeting and tried my best to hide my excitement.

‘This is beyond what I expected. This must be Link in his wolf form, just like from Twilight Princess! Can he speak to us? Can he understand me? I need to handle this with care. Calm yourself Jack, just greet him at first like any other person.

“Hello, and thank you for answering my summons. My name is Jack Krieger, behind you is my sister Katy and this is Prince Thistle of the Shattered Isles. I’ve summoned you here in order to exchange knowledge and hope that this meeting can lead to a possible friendship.”

“I'll be the judge of that.” I heard from within its mind before it suddenly sprinted toward me and leaped high into the air as if aiming for my head. Instinct told me to react aggressively to the wolf’s pounce, but the Force calmed me before I could act. There was no aggression in this wolf’s actions so I placed my trust in the Force and hoped it was right. Otherwise, HK’s itchy trigger finger was going to light up the room. My vision was assaulted by a bright burst of light as I soon found myself lying on a gentle floor of clouds like a pegasus.

I noticed I was high above the Shattering Isles, with the sea and the main continent off in the far horizon. My attention was drawn by the sound of deep breathing as I looked up to see the wolf again only except it was now bathed in a peculiar spectral shade. With a gentle echoing howl, the beast became a man; a warrior covered by a red cloak and hood with the famous signature green tunic adorning his torso.

Link, or at least a man who appeared to be the famous video game character, stood before me and I calmly placed my hands behind my back as I realized where we were. The small familiar currents of the Force indicated to me that this was a deep dark corner within my mind and I deduced that the man before me had brought us here so that we may converse in private. While I still trusted that the man didn’t seek to threaten me, I prepared my mind for an attack nevertheless. I walked towards the man and greeted him once more with a diplomatic smile.

“Well now, this was not how I expected we would speak to each other. Tell me do you have any more surprises in store for me?” I asked in a gentle tone.

“We’re just here in a temporary mindscape that I always create whenever I meet a new Displaced. You, however, I don’t trust. Your scent is rather powerful to my wolf sight.” the man explained as he reached up to lower his hood. I had to blink twice to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks when I noticed the trimmed mustache and goatee combo. I don’t think I ever saw a Link with facial hair.

“Fascinating,” I whispered silently as I continued to examine him. He was no Link that I had ever seen before and it further confirmed that he was a Displaced just like Katy and I.

I bowed, hands still behind my back, and rose to speak again.

“My apologies if I appear to be untrustworthy. My intentions are purely as I have said before. I wish to exchange knowledge, preferably pertaining to the nature of our displacement, and hope that this exchange can lead to a possible friendship.”

“That’s kinda hard to believe.” The pointy eared man said as he tugged on one of his leather gauntlets. “While I’m not one to judge others harshly, I recognize you as a Sith, a being who channels his power through hatred and rage. Your scent is a little similar to another I fought before in the past.” he explained.

“Ahh, I see,” I said as I considered his reasoning. The Dark Side is many things but friendly is not one of them. He is right to be cautious. The Dark Side’s ‘scent’ must reek off of me since I have used nothing but its power to fight my battles so far.

“The Dark Side of the Force has been my ally in my endeavors on this world. But the keyword I would like to emphasize is ally. Its power doesn’t control me, I control it. I assure you that I’m not like some evil old man in a dark robe hell bent on the conquest of the galaxy.” I said with a little levity hoping to lighten the atmosphere with a joke.

“Just a precaution.” Link said as he pulled out the Master Sword, making me reach down for the lightsaber on my hip that wasn’t there. He flips his weapon around so that he’s holding the blade’s tip. “Take hold of the sword.”

The atmosphere surrounding the sword was bathed with Light Side energy. It was fascinating to see its power pulsate and weave with the currents of the Force surrounding it. With a little hesitation, my clawed hand reached down to take the sword into my grasp.

It was instant, a burning sensation traveled through my hand and up my arm to the core of my being. I could feel the Light coursing through me more vibrantly than ever before even when I saw Katy fight in the arena. It was like feeling the warmth of the sun for the first time after spending months in a dark cave. Its warmth passed over me quickly and I nearly dropped the sword till the burning sensation stopped altogether.

I then felt nothing. Nothing but a calm, nurturing light. The light was guidance, hope, and… peace.

My breathing was a little excessive, but I calmed down quickly after I realized what this was.

“This ‘precaution’ hopefully proved to you that I am no threat, yes?” I said as I took the blade into my other hand and tested its weight.

“I believe so, it seems the Dark Side doesn’t have that much of a hold on you yet. At least the Master Sword didn’t burn your hand off-..um..” The hylian cleared his throat when he realized his poor choice of words. Hearing this, my mind instantly went to the idea that I may have almost turned into a Skywalker just moments ago. Since this was in my mind and not reality, I decided to let the matter go.

“Let’s start from the beginning, my name is Link.” He said as he extended his right arm in an attempt to provide a friendly handshake. “Or if you prefer to call me by my original name, it would be Jeffery. It’s just that for seventeen years, the name Link felt more natural to me than my own. It’s a strange feeling that I suppose is the result of the Void.“

‘That is so interesting and frightening at the same time. Was my own sense of identity altered when I was in the void? Was Katy’s?’ I pondered as I reach my hand out to accept the handshake.

“Well, I’ll call you Link for now since you seem more comfortable with it. Now then, since I’ve earned your trust, may we conduct further business out in the real world.”

I was worried what was happening out there after the others saw me getting pounced on by a wolf.

“If there is nothing else to discuss in secret, judgement has been passed.” Link said. And as those words left his mouth, the mindscape started to fade with another bright light. Returning me back to where I was standing before as if nothing had happened. A bright silhouetted wolf leaped out from my forehead before landing gracefully on the floor, its form soon reshaping and taking on Link’s original appearance.

I looked around the cafe to see that everyone had barely even moved since Link had brought us into the mindscape. I sensed that HK had kept to his hidden position and thankfully didn’t make any assumptions despite Link’s actions. He awaited my orders like he was told to do and it helped solidify my trust in the droid. 2V-R8 was still recording everything, while Prince Thistle and Katy had switched back and forth between expressions of surprise and worry. As Link transformed back into his hylian form, Katy walked over to my side and never kept her widening eye off of Link. The prince, on the other hand, was completely starstruck at Link’s transformation and his beak moved to whisper a few words that I could barely make out.

“Ohhhh yessss, he is simply marvelous.”

Turning my attention back to Link, he had completed his transformation and stood in the room complete in his battle attire. I cleared my throat to gain everyone’s attention and began further introductions.

“Everyone, this is Link. After a brief conversation in my head and assuring him that everything was safe, Link has decided to appear before us in his true form. Say hello everyone.”

Link’s blue eyes scanned the room, noticing a lot of the new faces. When his sights landed on Katy, recognition lit up his eyes not because of him knowing Katy personally, but more likely because of the form she was Displaced as. “It's nice to meet you all.” Link said with a wave of his leather gloved hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Katy said as she walked up to him to grasp his hand in a firm handshake. “Like Jack said my name’s Katy and it’s nice to meet another human being again. Even if he does look kinda… elfy.”

After finishing the handshake with a light-hearted grin Katy moved away so Thistle could begin his introductions as well. Link moved his hand to shake his talons but the prince waved it away as if it was nonsense.

“Oh darling, I greet people in a much different way.” Thistle said as he got onto his hind legs and hugged the hylian like he did with Katy and me when we first met. Link was surprised at Thistle’s intimacy and was even more surprised when he kissed him on both of his cheeks.

“Those little whiskers on your face are adorable by the way,” Thistle said as he separated himself from the hug.

Link coughed into his fist awkwardly. “It’s called a goatee.” Link said as he turned his attention back to Katy. “Also the proper word is Hylian.” He said while shaking his head. “You’re the third person who has compared to me an elf, at least you didn’t compare me to Legolas.”

Katy snickered as she continued to grin. “I know, but even if I’ve played the games for over a decade, I’m still gonna associate Link to an elf if Nintendo continues to make him small with pointy ears. At least you’re the first Link I’ve seen with a goatee. It looks nice on you by the way.”

Link thanked Katy for the compliment then looked over at 2V-R8, whose visual sensors still had yet to leave him. “At ease.” Link said jokingly, although the tone might have fallen on deaf ears to the robot. Link turned back to Katy as he reached up to stroke the goatee she mentioned. “Yea, it started years ago and I’ve been trimming it to match what I used to be,” the Hylian explained.

Now that everyone had properly introduced themselves I led everyone to a dinner table so we could exchange stories. Katy and I told Link about our individual experiences into our new universe, how we were displaced, what we went through in our new bodies, and how we’ve started to master our new powers. Thistle remained quiet throughout most of the conversation and only chimed in once in a while to help explain how I became Warden of the Shattered Isles. Other than that, when Link’s attention was focused on either me or Katy, I noticed that Thistle was thoroughly examining Link from top to bottom. It caused me to wonder briefly if that was how Thistle looked at me when I wasn’t looking.

Link then told us about his own adventures and the other Displaced he has met along the way. He told us about people such as Betty, Azure, Wyatt, Nick, Rez, Palutena, Rin, Sans the Better, Akuma, Ash, and lastly Dark. So many Displaced, so many people like Katy and myself, and in a way it made me feel less alone. So many people were out there in the vast void with powers and abilities that people could only dream of having back home. This meeting was going exactly as I wanted. Information was being exchanged and now I had a list of potential allies I could call upon with a few of their names hinting at what their skill sets entailed. But I was still missing one key aspect of this meeting.

I wanted a fight. A REAL challenge to test what I know so far. From what Link has exhibited so far and the stories he has regaled us with, he more than fits the criteria I require. A skilled swordsman, a competent magic user with an inventory of tricks, experience from many past battles. The only question is how I go about in articulating my request.

I looked to Katy and then to Link as I considered my problem. From what his personality has revealed so far, Link seems to be a very straightforward person with a morality as tough as steel. In some ways it reminded me of Katy. So perhaps a straightforward question is all that is required. Let's hope that is the case.

Link and Katy had just finished explaining to Thistle the magics of the Master Sword when I asked my question.

“I must say Link your tale is quite a fascinating one and your feats of combat are impressive as well. Would it perhaps be too much to ask if you could demonstrate your skills for us?”

“Sure, although not here. I’ll need a fairly open area and targets to use them on without harming anyone or anypony.” Link replied.

“Well as for targets I’ll gladly volunteer!” He initially was surprised at my statement, but I sensed that he understood what I was getting at. “I’m in need of a good competent warrior to test myself and sadly the most competent warriors I know of are currently out of my reach. There is an arena here on the island with enough space, equipment, and medical personnel on standby. The Titan Arena is the perfect place for a little sparring, and it just so happens that Thistle here is the Keeper of that same arena.”

I gestured my hand over to Thistle and the prince’s ever-present smile had widened.
“Thistle would it be okay if we could shift the Titan Arena’s schedule once more?” I asked, confident that he would say yes. The prince had been very accommodating so far.

However, I was very surprised at his answer.

“I’m not so sure Jack,” Thistle sighed, still smiling, as he fiddled with a gem on one of his rings. “The Titan Arena benefited greatly from the Royale, despite the hundreds of bets I had to refund last night. If I were to interrupt the arena’s schedule so soon after the previous upset, I could actually start to lose profits this time.”

“Don’t take it the wrong way Link,” Thistle continued as he stared down at his rings. “I’m sure you’re as skilled a warrior as you’ve made yourself out to be and I’d think a sparring match between you and Jack would be a marvelous event. But sometimes business must demand that you consider that your gains may not equate to what you might lose. I’m afraid that a loss of profit in my most esteemed enterprise is too much of a risk for one little sparring match.”

I was actually really shocked. Thistle went out of his way to get Katy and me a fight in the Royale with barely any care for what could happen to his gambling losses. Unless… is he wanting something in return?

Thistle’s eyes slowly moved from his rings and he gazed into Link’s bright blue irises.

“But I am a reasonable griffin. If we could settle on a deal, I’m sure I could allow the Titan Arena to be of service to you and Jack. That is unless you actually want to spar with my House’s Warden?”

“He is asking for one, I see no reason to decline.” Link said in a curious tone of voice.

Thistle leaned forward with the elbows of his forelarms pressed against the table.

“Well then if I am to recover from my possible losses I want something from you. To be more specific, I want… a dance.”

“Like a dancing contest or…?” Link left the question hanging for the griffon to answer.

“No darling, I want to dance with you as a dance partner. It’s been so long since I’ve danced with someone with such an exotic… figure. I think a personal dance with a handsome alien from a different universe is more than worth a few gambling refunds. What do you say, do we have a deal?” Thistle asked as he reached out with his talons to offer a handshake with Link.

Wait was this actually happening? Thistle will give us access to his arena if he gets a dance?! I was so confused right now. I looked to my side and saw that Katy was covering her mouth to hide her laughter

“Wouldn’t that be a little difficult considering we’re two different species? I mean, two-legged and four-legged.” Link asked with a raised eyebrow. “Or the fact that the only form of dancing I’m accustomed to is freestyle movements, or Kamaro’s dance…” He said. He sounded unsure of the request as he soon looks toward me. “Is there no other location?”

“Well… the Titan Arena is the safest. Although we could find some wasteland out in the middle of nowhere like in some anime.” I stopped myself as I noticed that Thistle was looking at me with puppy dog eyes while everyone else had their attention focused on me. He really wanted this didn’t he? “But if either of us were to get hurt I would prefer that we spar in a place where medics are nearby.”

Link took a gentle breath and shook his head as he looks up to Thistle. “Alright, it’s a deal. But I can’t promise it’ll be a good one.” He said. Despite agreeing to the deal, I could sense he wasn’t going to be comfortable with this.

Link shook Thistle’s talons and the prince got up out of his chair to lead Link to a more open floored section of the cafe. In my mind, I questioned how Thistle planned to even dance with his bipedal counterpart considering their differences in anatomy. But then my question was shortly answered when, with a quick flap of his wings, Thistle rose onto his hind legs and matched Link in height. Using his tail and wings to keep himself balanced, Thistle walked as gracefully as any other homo sapien and chuckled softly from looks of surprise he was getting from everyone in the room.

“I’m very flexible compared to most griffins. Now then my darling little alien we can’t dance without music. Katy, could you be a sweetheart and play a little something for us? Something spicy please.”

“Uh sure, you got it!” Katy lept from our table and quickly bounded back to the piano on stage and flipped through some sheet music on a music stand. After finding one that suited Thistle's request she strummed her fingers across the keyboard to produce an upbeat song you would normally associate with a tango.

Thistle removed his robe so he could move more freely and revealed more of his midnight purple feathers and tiger striped coat. After flexing his wings a little bit Thistle began to notice Link’s discomfort.

“Don’t worry yourself too much darling this is just for fun! It doesn’t matter if you haven’t danced hand and talon with someone else before, just follow my lead and relax your body. Have you ever thought about taking someone out to dance before?”

“Well, no. Other than two special someponies or someone I once knew in my life.” Link answered a little cryptic.

“Well, now you’ll know how to dance with them after we’re done here. Now take my right talons into your left hand.” Link followed his instructions. “Take your other hand and place it on the crook of my back underneath my wings and… oh for goodness sake get closer to me!” Thistle admonished as Link panicky stepped closer.

“Now, watch my paws and follow my steps.” Thistle continued as he took two steps to the right and two more to the left, perfectly in sync to Katy’s tune. Swaying side to side, forward then back, Link followed the prince as best as he could despite how stiff his body moved. It was like watching an angelic acrobat trying to dance around a stoic tree. It was kinda hilarious to watch at first, but slowly Link was beginning to mimic Thistle's movements almost perfectly.

“Good, good! You’re starting to get it now. Keep up with me, we’re going to try to get a little more complex here. Twirl me away,” Thistle ordered. Link did as he was told and raised the prince’s right talons above his head to extend his arm and twirl the prince away from him.

“Now twirl me back. Very good!” Thistle congratulated as Link twirled him back into his arms. “You’re a fast learner Link, and nimble on your feet too.”

“Hey, I need to be when it comes to fighting.” Link said for a short moment before adding more context. “Especially when it comes to my other forms.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Thistle said they returned to swaying side to side. Thistle eyes lidded themselves before the smile on his beak turned impish and he spoke in warm soft tone. “I wonder how nimble you are with your… other appendages.”

Link immediately returned to his awkward stoic movements and the sudden shift in motion accidentlly brought Link’s right foot in front of Thistle’s left paw. The prince tripped over the obtrusive appendage and would have nearly fallen to the floor if he hadn’t caught himself with his wings. Both of Thistle’s wings were outstretched behind him and the tips of his wings kept his back from hitting the ground. Link still held the prince by his left talons and with the position they were in, it almost looked like they were striking a dramatic pose.

I could hear Katy giving them a wolf whistle from the triangle stage.

Thistle just continued to smile devilishly, while Link looked embarrassed and slightly annoyed at the position he was put in. The Hylian gave Katy a quick glare and his eyes and teeth swiftly morphed into a more canine state before they morphed back into their normal form. Link pulled Thistle back onto his hind paws and placed his other hand back underneath the prince’s wings so they could continue their tango.

Their bodies turned and moved elegantly in tune to the music surrounding them. Thistle laughed and fluttered his wings a little as they began to speed up with the quicker tempo of the song. The prince still took the lead but was soft and wasn’t subtle with his movements; he clearly stated where he wanted to go by moving himself, inviting his partner to follow along with the quicker pace. He was alert despite his jovial mood, scanning the floor ahead of them, watching for cafe tables or chairs whenever they came close to them. Wherever Thistle leads them Link follows him step by step, perfectly interpreting whatever the prince had intended.

Link was starting to relax the more they continued to dance. Awkwardness and tension left his muscles and he began to match Thistle in elegance. He no longer had to stare at their feet to follow Thistle along and nothing felt forced as I watched him follow Thistle's lead. In the midst of his elegant movements, a sort of harshness followed his footsteps. A hint to his nimble fighting style as he translated his warrior instincts into artistic dance movements.

Then finally, it was over. Katy had hit the last note and the dancers paused in the middle of the room as if frozen in time. Thistle leaned in to whisper into Link’s ear. I had to enhance my senses with the Force just to hear it.

“Dance like that with any girl and they will definitely fall for you. Always be confident, and if you make a mistake, don’t apologize for it. Just work harder into your dance to make up for it. Thank you very much for the dance darling.”

With that Thistle parted from Link and landed back onto all-fours. The prince bowed his head to his dance partner and Link bowed his head in return.

Link returned his gaze towards me and mouthed the words, ‘You owe me,’before turning his attention back to the griffon. “Hopefully this is satisfactory.”

“I am more than satisfied darling. I’ve danced with kings, queens, minotaurs, diamond dogs, and even dragons. But never have I danced with someone from beyond the bounds of my own universe. You’ve made this greedy little prince very happy.”

Thistle clothed himself again in his olive green robe and flapped his wings with a satisfied sigh.

“Now then I do believe you two are owed an arena to fight in. I always pay my debts.” Thistle said as the sapphire ring on his talons blazed to life with a blue glow and a portal appeared right in the middle of the cafe. “This portal shall take us directly to the Titan Arena, follow me darlings!”

Thistle entered the portal and Katy leaped down from the triangle stage to follow him. Katy gave Link a thumbs up as she walked past him and told him he did a good job as she entered the portal. I ordered 2V-R8 to enter the portal along with them and declined to extend that order to HK-55 knowing that he would follow us as soon as Link and I entered the portal. Before Link and I followed my sister, I struck up a quick question that had been bugging me.

“It wasn’t that bad was it? I knew Thistle could be a flirt, but I didn’t expect...well… that.” I may have met the prince yesterday, but that dance had completely caught me off guard.

“I’d rather not dig deep into the subject, but let’s just say it was somewhat of an ill reminder of what happened to me in the past.” Link answered before going through the portal without another word, except for a quiet mumble I sensed deep within his mind.

With a deep breath I follow him into the portal.

……

It was comforting to feel my lightsaber in the palm of my hand. Within its decorative hilt was a collection of advanced technology and ancient force-imbued elements that would produce a blade hotter than the surface of a star. Few things in the galaxy can withstand a lightsaber’s intense heat and even fewer have been able to defeat their masters. It was an elegant weapon, and it would finally meet the blade of another.

The magical transparent stone wall that led out into the Titan Arena showed me that my match between myself and Link was about to begin.

“GOOD PATRONS OF THE TITAN ARENA, DRAW YOUR EYES TO THE CENTER RING! WE HAVE ANOTHER SPECIAL PRESENTATION IN STORE FOR YOU TODAY.” Guile the promotor bellowed.

“OUR WARDEN HAS COME TO SPOIL YOU ALL AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON. HE PLANS TO FIGHT NOT ONLY FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT, BUT HE ALSO BRINGS WITH HIM A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER FROM LANDS FAR BEYOND OUR REALITY. A STRANGER WHOSE HISTORY IS UNKNOWN, WHOSE SKILLS ARE UNKNOWN, WHOSE POWER IS UNKNOWN… ALL THAT IS KNOWN OF HIM IS BUT HIS NAME. LINK!”

The audience ooed and applauded for the mysterious warrior that had come to their arena.

“THE RULES OF THIS MATCH FOLLOW THE SAME RULES AS ANY OTHER MATCH BETWEEN TWO GLADIATORS. BOTH MUST NOT KILL, BUT A LITTLE MAIMING NEVER HURT ANYONE. BOTH CANNOT LEAVE THE CONFINES OF THE ARENA, THAT MEANS NO FLYING OR TELEPORTING AWAY FROM THE CENTER RING! LASTLY, EACH COMBATANT HAS 20 MINUTES TO KNOCK THE OTHER ONE OUT OR FORCE THEM TO SURRENDER. IF TIME RUNS OUT THEN THE MATCH ENDS IN A DRAW. THESE RULES ARE SIMPLE AND ABSOLUTE.”

“SO LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD. 2 WILL ENTER, 1 WILL LEAVE WITH GLORY. LET THE MATCH BEGIN!!!”

The stone wall that separated me from the arena slid underneath the floor and a wall on the other side of the arena revealed Link with his Master Sword in hand. The arena itself had changed itself again, and this time instead of the sandy hellscape Katy and I fought in last night, the arena floor was broken up into tall pillars of stone with an uneven rocky terrain blemished with long jagged fissures. Gouts of flame erupted from these fissures in seemingly random intervals and superheated the rocks around them to produce a distorting haze. One hot hellscape was simply substituted for another.

At least this time I had something to protect my feet. I was still in my vacation attire with my lower robe covering my legs and black sleeves buckled to my arms. A black diadem rested on my head to offer a little protection and the only part of my body that wasn’t covered was my bare chest. My vacation attire was perhaps my lowest quality of gear I could bring into this fight, but my lightsaber was what would truly protect me. The lightsaber was a Sith’s and Jedi’s life, it was their first and last line of defense no matter the battle. Win or lose, the outcome of this battle will depend on my skill with a lightsaber and luckily I had the experiences of one of the best lightsaber duelists in the old Sith Empire.

Link and I stepped into the arena and my lightsaber ignited with a hiss that sent the audience abuzz with anticipation. The dark saber was surrounded by a red shade of light which refused to be swallowed whole by the saber’s blackish blade. The lightsaber blade was inspired by Mandalorian intuition and was crafted by the hands of malevolent Sith. It will really test just how indestructible the Master Sword truly was.

“Are you ready for this Link?” I asked as we stood six meters away from each other.

Link raises his weapon at a diagonal angle and kept his sword raised as if expecting me to do something. “Clash your sword with mine and we will begin.” the Hylian explained before I noticed a strange gleam in his blue eyes as if he was analyzing something.

After closing the distance, my lightsaber met his sword with a hiss and the Master Sword held strong underneath the lightsaber’s intensity. Light and Dark met each other in a salute of respect.

“Let's do this.”

With that Link leapt towards me, his weapon moving with a speed that challenged my Force enhanced senses. Parrying his first sequence of strikes, my opponent grunted in surprise when I warded him off, then stepped back to regroup. He attacked first with the intent of achieving first blood, but now he had to quickly reevaluate his strategy.

Link lunged in again, and the arena was filled with the hiss and hum of a lightsaber striking the blessed metal of a sword half a dozen times in the space of two heartbeats. I would have been carved into ribbons had I tried to react to each of Link’s moves individually. Instead I simply called upon the Force, letting it flow through me and help guide my hand. The Empire’s Wrath greatest strength had always revolved around his skill in defense. My lightsaber became an extension of the Force, and I responded to Link’s unstoppable attacks with an impenetrable defense.

All the while, my rage grew within a vessel inside my mind. Dark Side energy grew inside me as I thought of anything I could think of to build my rage in a matter of milliseconds. That bastard Merchant who tore me from my family, past failures from home that haunted the corners of my mind, anything that gave me rage was kindled in the fires of the Dark Side.

As Link’s assault began to lighten up, I went on the attack. In the past, I was always afraid to surrender my will to raw emotions because of the damage they could cause. Now I had no such limitations; for the first time since I fought the Aper Major, I felt like I was calling upon the full power of the Dark Side.

I drove Link back with furious slashes, forcing the Hylian into a backpedaling retreat across the rocky terrain. Link flipped over a horizontal slash from my lightsaber and landed behind a large boulder, but I was relentless in my pursuit and threw the boulder across the arena with one hand while leaping forward to land a crippling blow to Link’s right leg.

However, my strike was turned aside at the last second, but I was quick to follow it up with another series of powerful thrusts and stabs. Link continued to give ground, pushed inexorably back by the storm of my lightsaber. Each time the Hylian tried to change tactics or switch blade stances, I anticipated, reacted, and seized every advantage I could find.

Link was starting to get desperate. Leaping, spinning, ducking, rolling; he was tactically wild in his retreat and used the terrain to force me into obstacles. Forcing my blade to cut through obtrusive boulders or would direct my warpath into uneven terrain to weaken the speed of my blows. Link’s grace on the field of battle was impressive but he was slowly running out of terrain as I backed him ever closer to the arena’s wall.

Recognizing what was happening, Link pirouetted from an over headed strike from my lightsaber and leaped far away till his back was at the wall. The Hylian stooped ever so slightly, panting heavily, and gazed at me directly in the eye. There was no hint of defeat in those bright blue eyes.

The crowd roared with excitement as the battle paused for a moment and I could feel their desire to see more. The emotions of hundreds raged wildly across the arena sending ripples throughout the Force that sent echoes farther than any sound. I took those emotions, that excitement, and made it my own but was wary in making sure that it didn’t overcome me. I sensed that this battle was far from over.

There were fewer than five meters between Link and myself, but it was just enough space for Link to reach behind his back and into his cloak to pull out a shield. A shield that was just as recognizable as the Master Sword. The Hylian Shield with the emblem of the Triforce emblazoned at its center with the red wings of an outstretched bird underneath it. If the countless attacks from monsters and magical attacks from multiple games were any indication, then the Hylian shield was just as indestructible as the Master Sword.

I hesitated.

Few Sith or Jedi have ever faced another blademaster with a shield since most materials in the galaxy rarely withstood the continued onslaughts of a lightsaber. But the Hylian Shield was not made from most materials. The Empire’s Wrath has faced other lightsaber wielders with shields before in the fiercest battles with the Eternal Empire, but those experiences were few in comparison to the countless Jedi The Wrath had to defeat in the past. This sparring match just became a lot more complicated and I just made a huge mistake by hesitating.

I gave Link enough time to go on the attack.

The battle was rejoined, but now it was me that was on the retreat. With limited experience, even my vast command of the Force was unable to anticipate the anomalous sequences of the sword and shield fighting style. My mind was flooded with a million options of what Link might attempt, and the memories of the Empire’s Wrath gave me little experience to draw upon. Overwhelmed, I staggered back, floundering as my mind was set with the desperation of a drowning man. My rage was weakening.

Link was unrelenting in his pressure. Whenever I tried to counterattack his shield was there to cut me off and he would continue to attack with a with a peculiar rhythm that gave me little to no respite. He would come at me high with his sword, I’d parry it, and he would push me back with the edge of his shield to prevent me from attacking. I felt one of the pointed edges of Link’s shield briefly grind against my left lower ribs and I had to leap back before he followed up the shield bash with a vertical strike from his sword.

I let out a small hiss from the bruising the shield bash left on my ribs, but thankfully The Wrath’s memories advised me on how to handle the pain. As a Sith Juggernaut pain was another resource I could use to fuel my power and the drowning desperation I felt moments before was swept away by a brief fire of rage. The pain helped me focus and it was likely the reason I was able to hold off Link’s next assault.

Battling through the arena’s rocky terrain I sensed that Link and I were approaching one of the arenas fissures where a wall of flame will soon erupt. With the Force, I carefully predicted when the flames would emerge and moved our battle slowly towards the fissure. In the instant it took Link to recognize where we were and realize that his opponent might escape, I thrusted out with a weak Force push. Knocking the Hylian off balance for a brief second, I backflipped over the erupting wall and onto the other side. With the wall of flame finally giving me respite from Link’s attacks, my perception of time slowed considerably and I strategized what my next move will be.

Link’s shield had completely thrown me off and the little experience I could draw upon from the Wrath’s memories offered only a few strategies. Only the Knights of the Eternal Empire were the only ones the Wrath ever faced who used a sword and shield style in combat. It was a defensive style that allowed the Knights an effective tool to defend against strikes in lightsaber duels and it was quite effective in ranged blaster combat as well. One strategy the Wrath used to fight the Knights was to simply outmaneuver them with his pure skill in his lightsaber. As effectively defensive the sword and shield style was, a skilled Djem So practitioner could easily outmaneuver and counter-attack to land a deadly blow when the sword and shield user had to reach out from behind their shield to attack. The only problem with this strategy was that Link was a veteran swordsman and after suffering his onslaught for over a minute I could tell that there was little to no chance that I would get the opportunity to counter-attack. He knew how to cover his paces and he’ll have an answer to any attack that I may throw at him.

Another strategy was to simply use sheer brute force and break the shield. The Wrath had the advantage of having a very, very, strong physical body and once amplified by the Force the Wrath could break durasteel and knockout monsters 6 times his size with nothing but his fist. But superhuman strength or no, the Hylian shield was just as unbreakable as the Master Sword and I doubted that I could break it with strength alone.

It was pretty humbling. During this entire spar I’ve been using nothing but the Wrath’s experience to fight back. It might as well have been the Empire’s Wrath fighting Link, not Jack Krieger.

“I need to think for myself instead of just relying on the Wrath’s instincts. But… I’m no real fighter! I’m just some scrawny college kid who got lucky that one time with Katy’s jackass boyfriend. My only real experience in fighting was just going psycho on a couple assholes who either made fun of my family or tried to hurt them. You can’t do this Jack, you can’t SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP.’

Time may have slowed as I gathered my thoughts, but time was still progressing. Soon Link will be upon me again.

‘I need to gather more of my rage, but it’s not simply enough to get angry at things I pluck from my head. I’m getting angry at things like the Merchant or Valkorion, but those bastards weren’t even here. I need to get angry at...at… Link. Yes, when I fought the Aper Major, the Dark Side flooded my body with strength because the beast was the sole focus of my rage. But Link is just… I can’t-’

I looked around the arena and noticed the silence that overtook the audience. I felt their confidence in my victory, I sensed their thoughts as their minds jumped into ideas of how I would beat the mysterious stranger in their arena. They expected their Warden to win.

‘I can’t fail them, these people trust me to be strong enough to protect them. This was a mistake, I shouldn’t have brought Link here. If I lose here in front of so many people I’ll-, That’s it! That is what Link wants. He wants to embarrass me in front of the people I’m sworn to protect. My sister is watching, House Hialla is watching, and this little shit is pushing me back! Noooo, that’s not happening, not anymore. I’m going to crush that scrawny little neck of his.’

The flame wall from the fissure died down, and my heart thumped against my chest like a primal drum. Pure rage filled my being and I could feel it climbing up my throat, begging to be let out. Link rushed with sword and shield in hand but he was far too late to stop what was coming.

“RAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW!”

A Force Scream roared from the back of my throat sending pure Dark Side energy echoing into the arena. The focus of its power was directed at the small Hylian and it sent Link spinning off his feet and across the arena several meters away from me. Link struggled to his feet and I could sense the unsteady sensation that plagued his perceptions. The Force scream had done part of its job and imbalanced the little shit, but it should have made him afraid. The purpose of a Force Scream was to instill fear.

‘Why isn’t he afraid? He’s really pissing me off!’

While Link tried to gather his bearings I channeled the Force around me and into the palm of my right hand. I hurled out the wave of Force energy at the Hylian and the shock wave shook the very foundations of the Titan Arena. The concussive blast had enough power to shatter every bone in Link’s body and it could’ve pulverized his flesh into a mass of pulpy liquid. But Link somehow must have sensed the coming danger at the last second and raised his shield to protect himself from the attack.

Unfortunately, the Hylian Shield couldn’t protect the stone surrounding him. The giant boulders behind Link exploded into great chunks of rubble scattering across the arena by the hundreds. I grasped these rocks with the Force, and with a wave of my hand, the rocks rained towards Link like a tempest. Link raised his shield again, desperately trying to ward off the wave of stone and this left him wide open for attack.

With the Force gathering into my legs, my feet leaped from the ground with a charge and closed the vast distance between Link and me. Realizing that I was coming, Link had to choose which attack he would have to block with his shield and he wisely chose to block the raging Sith barreling towards him. Solid stone pelted his back and it weakened his stance as my lightsaber smashed into his shield with a crushing blow. Link grunted in pain as his shield was torn from his arm by my blow and his face was wide open for my fist.

Feeling bone crunch underneath my fist I sent Link sailing back once more and I felt euphoria as I saw him on the ground.

‘Yes! On the ground you shit! Yesssss, morrrrre!’

The Dark Side filled me more and more with its power as my emotions ran wild. This was what I was missing. It’s not simply enough to just get angry, I need to get angry at the enemy currently in front of me. I must want his suffering, I must devour a banquet of his pain. To become obese with heat, power,... and rage.

As I basked in the glow of my epiphany, Link got back up. His eyes were narrowed and filled with determination and he reached up with his hand to set his nose back into place with a soft crack. I wasn’t the only one angry now.

‘Gooood, Yessssss, Goooood. Bring me more, bring me your hatred so that may feed upon it and grow stronger.’

“So much for the whole, ‘the Dark Side is only my ally’ speech.” Link commented sarcastically. “Seems to me you’re craving a different kind of fight.”

In response, I simply drew the lightsaber slowly across another boulder and had the top half slide to the ground.

Link wasn’t impressed. Link raised his sword skyward and I sensed a sudden shift in the arena. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning strikes his sword, giving it a powerful radiance. “Let’s give the crowd something worth their money, shall we?” the Hylian asked before suddenly impaling the ground with the Master Sword. There was an eruption of power as electricity traveled wildly across the arena before suddenly changing directions and headed straight towards me. The magical surge shaking the ground as if it was an earthquake.

Grinning, I channeled the Force into my legs once more and hopped lightly into the air to smash my feet into the ground, sending my own Force-induced shockwave outwards towards the approaching magical surge. The two forces of energy clashed in a chaotic eruption and sent stone and debris flying across the arena in all directions. I had to swat aside a few chunks of stone as they flew towards me and then had to take a few steps back as a geyser of flames erupted from the point of impact from our blast. The magical lighting and Force energy that had been channeled into the arena floor had greatly unsettled the arena’s framework.

But I didn’t have time to analyze the damage we caused for long as an arrow soon came sailing towards me. I incinerated the arrow with the plasma of my lightsaber but had to stop many more arrows as they seemingly were rained down upon me. The cause of this storm of arrows came from Link of course as I saw him slowly circle around the outskirts of the arena shooting arrow after arrow from a beautifully crafted oaken bow with an engraved silver grip.

The bowstring hummed as Link fired his arrows at me nonstop and despite his admirable skill with the weapon, there was no way he was ever going to hit me with one of those arrows. Firing projectiles at a man skilled with a lightsaber was just as fruitless as a man trying to kill a dragon with a water gun. My technique switched to the defensive style of Soresu and I either incinerated the arrows with my lightsaber or swatted them aside with a hand protected in Force energy. I was getting prepared to charge Link once again when suddenly, among the rain of arrows, a very peculiar arrow flew among the rest of arrows towards my position.

The arrow was bathed in a plethora of Light Side energy and out of pure Force-sensitive instinct I knew that this fight would be over if that arrow got so much a meter closer to me. Instead of waiting for the arrow to come into contact with my lightsaber I threw up my hand and stopped the arrow mid-air in a telekinetic grip. However, the Force energy I was using to hold the arrow was blighted with my Dark Side energy and when it came into contact the arrow’s Light Side energy, it catalyzed a chain reaction that enveloped the entire arena in a blinding white light.

My eyes burned from the arrow’s intense flare and I had to throw up a Force shield to protect myself from the rain of burning white Light Side energy that sailed towards me. My shield held firm under the rain of energy, but I was already damaged from the arrow’s dazzling display. Everything was blurry when I tried to open my eyes, and I could barely even discern what shape the rocks were when I stared at the ground.

My eyes were now useless to me and I kept my eyelids closed to ignore the visual distraction they caused. My sight may be gone but I didn’t need my eyes to see my enemy. The Force was all I needed.

‘He will pay dearly for that.’ I seethed.

I waited, displaying an opening in my defenses to show that Link’s attack had disabled my eyesight, and hoped that it baited Link into making a mistake. Instead, the hylian held his position with his bow in hand without even having an arrow nocked. Had he seen through my deception? Or was he merely preparing something else?
‘Come on, attack me! What are you waiting for?’

The longer I waited, the more I grew impatient. What kind of warrior doesn’t capitalize on an opponent’s blindness? Did that arrow of light take too much energy out of him? All I knew was that the longer I kept up this act, the phonier it appeared to be. So with the Force traveling into my legs, I charged suddenly towards Link with my lightsaber ready to strike him down.

He wouldn’t have his defenses up in time as his sword was at his side and his bow would offer him no protection from my lightsaber’s blade. He wouldn’t have time to dodge as I would already be upon him the moment his legs so much as twitched. I almost didn’t want to believe it, but this could be the end of our little bout.

‘Despite his attempts to embarrass me, I won’t kill him. Noooo, he needs to suffer, I’ll take one of his arms and then I’ll- wait, what am I thinking? I shouldn’t want that! What’s happening to me?’

For a moment it felt like a veil was lifted from my mind and the fires of my rage soothed briefly. I was terrified at the sadistic thoughts I entertained in my head and I faltered in my charge towards Link. Link noticed my weakness, except this time, my vulnerability was for real. He furrowed his eyebrows as if confused but he quickly pushed aside his confusion so he could act. With a deep breath, he shouted out a name and magic began to stir in the air.

“KUN VULOM!”

The magic condensed and transformed into a brilliant sword of light, and as the light dimmed, the sword levitated in mid-air as if held by a string. The sword was the size of a claymore with a rainbow hue tinting its peculiar emerald green metal with eyes embedded into the edges of its guard, pommel, and center. The sword’s light intensified for one last moment and then leaped towards me on an intercept course. My lightsaber clashed with the levitating blade and I had to use both hands to keep the sword from pushing me back.

My brief foolish moment of hesitation was gone and I fell back on my rage to focus on the fight at hand.With a grunt, I pushed the sword away and retreated as the sword continued to attack me. With no clear idea how I was to counterattack I only kept up my defense as I reached out with the Force to figure out what magic was keeping this magical sword animated. It slashed and cleaved at me from random angles as it’s magic became more transparent to my Force Sight. A shield of magic enveloped the sword to protect it from my lightsaber’s heat but at small, microsecond moments the shield would evaporate whenever the sword invested more strength in its attacks. The sword had a weakness but I had to wait till that weakness presented itself more openly.

All the while my eyes were still blind from Links arrow of light and as my Force senses reached out to find out where my original opponent had gotten to I cursed when I sensed a new protective aura surrounding him. His hand was reaching into his bag and sums of magic extended from within its confines to swathe Link in a new protective covering. The magic condensed and took form in a new set of armor with the silhouettes of strange wisps surrounding the armor giving it more even more power.

With a pained grimace, I opened my eyes so I could at least get a glimpse of the armor’s physical form. Everything was still blurry but my eyes could still make out a few things. A shadowy gray metal made up most of the armor’s exterior with sharp pointed edges extending from its shoulder and leg guards. But the most curious thing was the shadow I saw growing behind Link. It could have been an illusion, or a by-product of the Force slowly trying to restore my eyesight, but I swore I saw the shadowed silhouette of a dragon extending its wings and letting out a silent roar as the armor finished molding onto Link.

An overhead slash from the levitating sword brought my attention back to it and I had to prepare myself as Link rejoined the fray with his Master Sword. 2 enemies now fell upon me and it only took me seconds to realize that Link was by far the most dangerous of the two. He was stronger, faster, and more precise in his strikes now and by the time it took for the levitating sword to strike at me twice, I had to bat aside at least two dozens strikes from Link. Each offensive they threw at me was a model of lethal efficiency- quick and powerful strikes and counterstrikes that would have kept me guessing had it not been for my connection with the Force.

As long as I kept up my form in the lightsaber stance of Soresu, spinning my lightsaber in a controlled rhythm of defensive postures, I was able to ward off both their attacks easily using whirling parries. For now, I was content to play a completely passive role in this fight, as going on the offense will easily lead me to defeat. I waited for my opportunity to strike back, but all the while I built up my rage and power in preparation for that opportunity or for when I would need an escape from any more of Link’s surprises.

Wondering how the audience was regarding our spar so far, I waited until it was time for the levitating sword to attack again, then gauged the sword’s predictable incoming stroke. Knowing exactly where it would end by watching where it began, I was able to momentarily divert my Force attuned senses from the combat to telepathically gauge the crowd’s thoughts.

Some were excited at the development of the battle, while some cried out in anger as they perceived that Link was cheating by summoning another opponent in our fight. Katy was at the edge of her seat both equally excited by our fight and worried that her little brother may get hurt. Then there were the droids, and while I couldn’t perceive their thoughts like organics, I could still sense their mechanical movements. 2V-R8 was still writing frantically into my journal and I made a quick note to acquire another one after this spar was over. HK-55 still remained tactically cloaked amongst the crowd waiting for my command and an idea quickly came to mind as I considered the options available to me.

All HK-55 needed was one secret gesture from me and he’ll follow his orders to shoot at any target I desire. I had complete trust that HK could carry out his shot perfectly, as human error was no factor when it came to assassin droids of his model. But if I’m going use HK properly I needed to find the perfect opportunity for him to strike.

My distraction with the crowd had lasted only for a fraction of a second, but in that one brief interval of time Link had somehow seen my lack of attention and sprung forward while jabbing the tip of the Master Sword towards my wrist to disarm me. I snapped my whole body to the side at the last possible instant, feeling the sting of metal as it barely nicked the lateral side of my wrist. The sudden movement threw off my defenses and balance, and as my spinning lightsaber slapped away the blow from the levitating sword I had anticipated from earlier, my saber lost it’s momentum and faltered.

In the split second it took me to bring up my defenses again I was left completely vulnerable. Link sliced at my head with the flat of his blade, forcing me to duck, then he chopped at my feet on his backstroke, causing me to jump before I could properly set myself. I may have avoided his swipe, but I landed clumsily on my feet. Another blow rained down on me and with my body out of position, I was forced to block its path rather than deflect it to the side. Link was definitely stronger now in that armor, and as we clinched our swords together we each tried to outclass the other with pure strength.

But before we could find out which one was the stronger of the two, Link’s levitating sword sensed its opportunity to strike at me with my lightsaber now occupied completely by Link’s Master Sword. Magical energy focused itself within the blade and it raised itself in the air as if it were going to hurl that deadly energy towards me. I was doomed, and there was nothing I personally could do without giving Link the opportunity to strike me down as well. I was now defenseless to either of my opponents.

However, as Link’s levitating sword focused its magical energy to strike the final blow, I noticed that the magical shield protecting it was gone. I had found my escape, and with a flick of my pinky finger, I gave HK-55 the secret gesture he was waiting for.

With speed and a reaction time that only a machine with a CPU thousands of times faster than any human brain, HK-55 fired his blaster rifle from within the audience and struck the levitating sword with intense blue plasma. The sword hissed and sparked as it was warped by the plasma and the volatile magic it was channeling just moments ago. The sword ceased its levitation and fell to the ground with a thud as black smoke was excreted from black blemishes on its blade.
As the sword fell Link’s eyes flared and he hissed through his teeth in a sudden pain in reaction to the sword’s warping.

There was a brief instant where I saw my opening to escape and I took it so that I may regain my bearings. I pushed Link away with a vicious blow to his head with the hilt of my lightsaber and leaped away to land on the peak of a large boulder. Our fight was paused for the moment, and Link and I each took that moment to catch our breaths. The levitating sword faded away just like the smoke emitting from its blade and I sensed its remaining traces of magic traversing towards Link to become one with him once more.

My eyesight was starting to return so I opened my eyes to gaze into Link’s own then had them travel around the arena. HK-55 was still camouflaged amongst the audience and the audience's members were turning their heads left and right in confusion, wondering where that loud bolt of light came from.

Link took this moment to reach into his pouch and pulled out a strange hand-held… mirror? No, it was purple with three red spikes along the top and had an eye on the end of the handle. I sensed a flow of magic travel into the object and he looked around again through its eye and eventually stopped on the position where HK was located.

‘Did that artifact just allow him to see HK-55 despite being cloaked?’ I pondered curiously.

He placed the object back in his pouch and turned to me. “I’d say that was fair. My sword did act as a partner, it’s only right that you were able to call upon your own.” Link said as he took up a defensive position sword at the ready.

I had no idea how much time had passed but I sensed that we were reaching the time limit of our match.

“I’m ready to go whenever you are,” I said from up on top of the boulder.

“You’ve fought well thus far, now I’d like to see how far you can really go. You show great promise for this world.” Link said as he sheathed his sword, making me wonder if he was giving up? However, after seeing him reach into his pouch once again it made my body tense up. He pulled out a strange mask that had an eerie likeliness to his own face, except the hair was white and it had red and blue markings adorning its cheeks.

All of Link’s tools thus far had been connected to the Light Side in some way, but in that mask, I only sensed the familiar echoes of the Dark Side. Another entity lived inside that mask, an entity that was begging to get out and let loose its hunger for battle.

‘How curious’ I pondered in fascination as Link put on the mask

“JACK! He’s using the Fierce Deity mask!” Katy cried out in a panic.

‘The what?’

The mask latched itself onto Link’s face and I bore witness to a startling transformation. The Fierce Deity mask almost seemed to merge completely with Link’s face and power seemed to flood from the mask and into Link’s body. He grew taller as beacons of light stretched forth from every corner of his body and at his side magic condensed once again to form into a sword. The sword itself had a simple hilt but the most extraordinary feature about the sword was the twin blades that curled themselves into a sinister double helix. As the sword was formed Link took its hilt into both of his hands and he stared at me with a new, stunning set of white eyes made of pure light.

Both Link’s and the entity’s intellects were now as one within Link’s mind, and each of their goals were simple and direct. Defeat me and end this battle.

……

Exhaustion. That was all I felt as the timer had finally run out.

The arena was a broken battlefield of pulverized stone and molten rock as I stood within the center of it with weary legs. My crimson torso was littered with scars leaking droplets of blood and my jaw hanged openly as I inhaled and exhaled copious amount of air. The Dark Side’s strength within me had waned over the course of my battle with the Fierce Deity but I still had just enough left to keep me conscious.

Link had torn the Fierce Deity's mask off with one hand and the double helix sword he held in the other had faded away like a mist. He was smiling as he returned to his smaller natural size and he congratulated me as he massaged his bruised shoulder from one of the few blows I had landed on him during the last few minutes of our match. Although he met the end of our match with warm feelings, I felt nothing but cold rage.

‘I hate you… you little...insignificant…,’ I let out a loud huff as my left hand clung to my side from a sharp pain I felt moments ago. Pain no longer fueled my power and had become a hindrance now that the battle was at an end.

‘It’s over Jack. Stop it. Rage serves no purpose now anymore.’

“WELL NOW, I CERTAINLY DIDN’T EXPECT THIS TO BE THE OUTCOME. TWO GLADIATORS ARE STILL LEFT STANDING!”

The audience was in a frenzy of cheers.

“THE MATCH IS A TIE. THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER SURE DID PUT UP QUITE A FIGHT, QUITE A FIGHT INDEED. I DARE SAY HE IS WORTHY OF A CHAMPION’S TITLE IF HE COULD PUT OUR OWN WARDEN THROUGH HIS PACES LIKE THAT. GIVE THAT POINTY EARED DEVIL A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.”

The audience clapped their talons, hooves, hands, and wings in a cacophony of different sounds and awarded Link with their praise.

“WITH THAT, WE CONCLUDE THIS MATCH AS A TIE. WELL DONE GLADIATORS!”

At the end of the promoter's words, sections of the Arena’s walls descended to show us our way out and I tiredly deactivated my lightsaber to walk through them. I needed a glass of water, some bandages to stop my chest from bleeding, and maybe some… ice cream? Yes, I definitely wanted ice cream.

This fight was way more than I had bargained for.

……

After the conclusion of our match, Thistle kindly gave Link and me a private room so that we may recuperate. I thankfully got my glass of water and I had used the Force to stop my wounds from leaking more blood. But I was still missing my ice cream and Katy, bless her soul, thankfully volunteered to find some for me. While she was gone, Link and I didn’t talk to each other very much and it left the room in an awkward silence. I felt obligated to speak, but it took me awhile to get words clearly articulated in my head.

“I’m sorry for how I acted during the spar. My behavior was… inappropriate to say the least.”

“You did surprise me, so I gave it back twice as hard to see if you’d snap out of it. I know the mask was a bit overkill, but I had a good reason. I wanted to see how you’d prepare yourself to fight something as powerful as the Fierce Deity if it was something beyond what you’re capable. It was also to teach you that while a Sith lord’s anger can give power, it comes at the cost of your focused mind. I’d suggest you try broadening your choices for cases like this when it's not enough. I’m no Yoda, so I’m just speaking from experience that being your Displaced character makes you strong, but going beyond the character’s original powers will make you stronger. If you were to ask your sister, she would tell you of things that the original Links have never used in our battle.” Link explained as he examined my battered condition.

“Sorry that I messed you up a bit, would you like me to use my Nayru’s Care spell to heal ya up a bit?”

“No please, I’ll be fine. The Force is all I need but I thank you nonetheless for your offer. The pain will help me to never forget the experiences I’ve learned from our battle. Anyhow…” I paused as I tried to think of another topic of conversation. “What can you tell me about the Fierce Deity? I must say, after being the focus of that spirit’s fury it has left immensely curious about its origins and power. I didn’t play much of Legend of Zelda when I human, but I don’t believe I ever saw it when I watched Katy play the games.”

“Fierce Deity is my terminian counterpart, a god who forced the trickster Majora to dance for three days straight, then once Majora was exhausted, he carved a mask from Majora’s armor, then proceeded to seal him away. Afterwards, he did the same to himself so that if Majora returned, he can return if a worthy warrior finds him and puts on the mask. But that’s all I can remember based on the Manga I read before I was Displaced. His Mask came with me after that and has been in my pouch for a long time. I used to fear him, afraid he would take me over if I ever wore it. There was even a time I had no choice but use him against a lesser void dweller who wanted to take over my Equestria,” Link explained before shaking his head. “It was a hell of a fight that left me in a coma for a few days but was thanks to Iron Ash the blacksmith, I’m still alive. Iron Ash came with me through the Dimension Between Worlds when we were sucked in together, and he couldn’t fight alongside me since he wasn’t a true Displaced with my dimension poisoning him, forcing him to use healing spells just to stay alive. But that’s the past, and it happened almost three years ago. He’s also the reason why I have this enchanted brigandine armor.”

‘So there are void dwellers who will actually invade another Displaced’s universe? That is both interesting and frightening. Interesting that they can actually be fought off, and frightening that beings who can cross universes at will would actually invade the universes they play with.’

I made a mental note to prepare for such an event if it were ever to occur to me or Katy.

“One last question. Have you ever heard of a Displaced… binding themselves to their tokens?” I asked in regards to my problem with the connection I have with my holocron token.

“Binding? A token is usually used to summon displaced from other universes, is there a problem with yours?” Link asked.

I had to word this very carefully. I trusted that Link was a perfect model of morality, but the less that people knew of my connection to my token, the better.

“You could call it a problem, but I would rather call it frustrating. You see my token is a holocron, which in Star Wars is an immeasurable information storage device, that holds the knowledge of one of the most powerful Force-wielders in Star Wars lore. It also houses a guardian that protects and teaches the holocron’s knowledge, but this guardian is the frustrating part, as it keeps me from accessing the knowledge because it deems me unworthy. It also will telepathically link with me to comment on something and it will even enter my dreams sometimes. Have you ever heard of any other Displaced having a connection like I have to mine?”

‘Maybe if there are others in a similar situation as I am in, maybe they have come up with ways to cut off the connection.’

“First of all, why did you choose it as your token?” Link asked.

I furrowed my brow at his words.

“Choose? I didn’t choose the holocron to be my token at all. The void dweller who forced Katy and I here, The Merchant, created our tokens for us. There was no choice in the matter at all.”

“Oh… you didn’t make it yourself,” Link stated with a frown. “The Merchant might have made it so you would stay connected, although I don’t know why.”

My heart dropped at those words. I could… make… a token?

He tricked us, he tricked me! That son of a bitch lied to us and tricked me into the subjugation of an artifact that I could’ve made by myself this whole time?! I didn’t know what to feel. Hate for the Merchant for trapping me in my worthless connection to my token, or hate at myself for allowing myself to be so easily duped. I swear by every fiber of my being that if I ever find The Merchant again, I will do whatever it takes eviscerate him or it out of existence.

“Are you ok Jack? It’s getting kinda cold in here.” Link asked as he scrutinized me with his blue eyes. He probably sensed my anger, so I forced myself to take slow deep breaths and focused on my inquiries for Link. I could vent my anger later.

“I’m fine, just realized something stupid that I could’ve avoided. Anyway, so I take it that you’ve never met anyone with my kind of connection before?”

The Hylian shook his head. “That’s the first time I’ve heard of such a thing.”

‘Well, it was a long shot anyway.’

Before we could continue our conversation, Katy bursted back into the room with two tubs of ice cream in hand and a happy grin.

“Heya guys, I got us a tub of vanilla and chocolate. You guys ready to dig in?”

“No thanks. After what me and Jack did in the arena, I’ll need some time to unwind. Then I’ll check for any possible injuries I didn’t notice due to the adrenaline rush.” Link said as he started to flex his neck.

“Ahhhhhh,” Katy sighed as her shoulders drooped. “Oh, well more for me and Jack then.”Just as Katy finished her sentence, two objects sparked into existence and floated in front of Link.

They were our tokens. One was an exact copy of my holocron with Sith hieroglyphs etched onto its surfaces. While the other one was another exact copy of Undyne’s helmet that acted as Katy’s token. Realization dawned on Link’s face and he reached out to take the tokens out the air and placed them into the endless depths of his pouches.

“So those are copies of our tokens then. You’ll be able to call upon us whenever you need us?” I asked.

“Pretty much, but I’m a little sparingly with who I summon, I only do it in a life and death situation.” Link explained to Jack. “Also, just a small warning. My token has twilight magic in it, so be careful not to activate it by accident or you may suddenly find yourself as a red horned wolf of some kind.”

“Alright then, warning received, so how do we send you back to your home universe? Is there some sort of trick involved?”

“Just four simple words; Our contract is complete and I’ll be on my way.” Link explained.

Katy and I looked at each other and then back to Link.

“Our contract is complete,” I said enunciating each word clearly.

There was a soft glowing blue light that slowly formed and surrounded Link in a crystal. He looked up and relaxed as the crystal started to spin, and soon, the room was filled with a bright serene light. When the light cleared, Link was gone.

Katy rubbed her one eye with a closed fist and whistled at Link’s exit.

“Well, that was fun. I liked him, seemed like a pretty swell guy even if he did knock my little brother around. Anyway, let’s eat this ice cream before it melts.”

19) The Apprentice

The insufferable snow of the blizzard stole the heat from my body while its furious winds cut through my body like a knife. The Force had refused to come at my call and the absence of its power made me feel like the smallest of insects. Then there were the bodies. The bodies of several dead griffons lying in the snow, some familiar to me and some unknown, all displaying severe cauterized wounds similar to the wounds caused by a lightsaber. I was cold, powerless, and so very, very alone.

I knew this was the same dream I had back in Ponyville.

The fact that I knew this was a dream didn’t make me feel any better. There was always the possibility that this was a vision of the future granted to me by the Force and the fact that I was seeing this vision for the third time only furthered my worries. There was the first time at Ponyville, the second time on the roof of Thistle’s hotel when I had that sudden phantasm of Falca’s corpse in the snow. Now this after I just lost Katy to the storm.

A scream pierced the winds of the blizzard.

I know now whose screams that belonged to and desperately didn’t want to see her again. Not looking like that. I knew if I kept walking through the snow and past the several bodies that surrounded me I knew I would eventually find Falca’s body. Then after I found Falca I would find Katy’s deformed amalgamated body next to hers and I didn’t know if I could handle seeing her in that state. Especially now after she had been so aggressively taken away from me.

Her blue scales sliding off her face as if she they were melting. The horrifying sight of a disfigured, wretched hand weakly reaching out to me for help. My Big Sis… the one I grew up with, the one that was always by my side, the one who would poke fun at me but would then hug me like a loving teddy bear. The one I could always trust to go to if I felt I couldn’t go to either Mom or Dad… The one piece of my previous life that followed me into this madness of a living, breathing world from a cartoon.

I couldn’t bear even the thought of seeing her again in that state. My tough Big Sis reduced to nothing but a weak, pitiful blue puddle desperately reaching out for help. Then knowing that there was nothing I could do to help her. I could literally feel my anxiety claw at my chest at the mere thought. I just wanted to close it all out of my head. To feel nothing, see nothing, and just wait for this nightmare to end.

Another of Falca’s screams pierced the wind.

But she deserves to be seen. They all do! No matter how painful it was to look at them! Falca…Katy… even if this was just a dream, their anguish deserves my acknowledgment. I will not ignore them. No matter how much pain the sorrow will bring me I will not give in to apathy. Apathy may have been preferable to the sorrow I felt, but apathy will solve nothing in the end.

Apathy is…

Apathy could lead to their deaths. To all of these deaths if I did nothing to stop it. If this was the Force giving me insight into the future then I must grasp the nature of every detail in order to prevent it. Why was there a blizzard? Was this a battlefield? Would that explain why there are so many bodies of dead griffons everywhere?

As I pondered these questions I continued onwards through the blizzard. Towards the screams.

If the wounds on the bodies were caused by a lightsaber then were they caused by my hand or someone else’s? Someone had to be responsible for all of this? Could it have been me? If not me then who else knows how to wield a lightsaber?

I absentmindedly realized that the screams had been cut off mid-screech. Just like last time.

Why couldn’t I feel the Force anymore? Was it because this was the nature of Force visions or was there a darker reason? Maybe this was how Force Sensitives processed their visions. Wait a minute… last time there was a cave. In the cave, I felt the Force again, but only for a brief moment before I had woken up. Perhaps there was something I was missing within that cave. Maybe there was a clue hidden there. Or maybe it would lead to something even more horrible than what I’ve already seen.

I trudged a few more steps through the white miasma of the blizzard and came upon the bodies of Falca and my sister. Falca, whose cold dead eyes stared out at nothing while snow formed around her like a blanket. Then there was Katy at her side, whose amalgamated body formed a simple blue puddle amidst the white surface of the ground.

…There couldn’t be anything more horrible than this.

With a few more shaking steps I kneeled down close to Falca’s corpse and tried to examine every detail I could find. I tried to avoid her eyes, but some deep uncontrollable instinct kept directing my own eyes towards them. It unsettled me every time but I eventually tore my gaze away from them over time to focus elsewhere. I took notice of my lightsaber clutched in her talons. It was just like the last few visions I had before and couldn’t really find anything abnormal about it besides the fact that she had it in the first place.

Pondering how she had my lightsaber was a question for another time, however. There were no clues to suggest how she had come to possess it and there had to be other details I was missing.

I examined the open burned hole in her chest and could conclude nothing other than that it had to be the cause of death and that it may have been caused by a lightsaber. Whether it was my own lightsaber that inflicted the wound or another similar weapon was unknown.

The rest of her body was relatively untouched as I examined it with my naked eye. Trying to be as respectful as I could I extended her left wing to examine it and checked for any damages. Then I checked her other wing and could find nothing to suggest that they were injured. This confused me because if she was screaming for her life then why didn’t she fly away? If she could hold her own by flying in a raging supernatural sea storm then she could probably fly through a blizzard too.

My hands were beginning to shake. Not from the cold but from the revulsion I felt for myself for what I was doing. Falca is my friend and I was touching and examining her body like it was some specimen in a lab.

FOCUS…I need…to focus. Damn this dream felt too real.

I found nothing of note as I examined the rest of Falca’s lion half. After that, I moved back up to her upper avian half to check underneath her feathers. They hid more underneath them than her fur so maybe I missed something. I shifted through the feathers around her chest wound and found nothing at first but then I continued further up to her neck and found something unusual. Underneath the feathers around her neck, I saw a long uneven red line blemishing the skin. It looked like something had held her by the throat.

Was someone choking her? How was she screaming then? Hold on a moment, I remember very recently in this dream and during the last one that her screams had been cut off mid-screech as I was making my way here. That must’ve been when it happened but who was the one choking her? Was it done by hands? It couldn’t have been done by talons, paws or hooves. The marks on her neck were too thin.

I desperately tried not to jump into any rushed conclusions.

Not finding anything else in the rest of her plumage I stood up and took a deep breath and tried to settle myself before I moved on to the next examination. This was absolute hell but I kept trying to remind myself that this was a dream and not reality… not yet anyway.

I exhaled slowly from my deep breath and couldn’t help but notice the visible warm condensation leaving my mouth in the cold open air. An oddly elaborate detail for a dream…

Again, this dream is NOT real.

I moved on to Katy’s amalgamated blue puddle and tried to prepare myself as I started to shake again. I knew she would reach out for me. Ask me for help I couldn’t provide. Then she would look at me with that awful melting eye. I waited for it to happen as I stood over the puddle but no amount of self-assurance that this was a dream could stop me from shaking.

Over a minute passes, nothing happens.

Another minute, still nothing.

I could actually feel my anxiety eating me from the inside out as I continued to wait.

Suddenly I remembered something from the previous dream. I remembered that I had accidentally stepped into Katy’s puddle before she began to form a melting hand and head. I think I needed to motivate a reaction out her physically so she could respond.

“Sorry Katy, I need to know what happened to you. To all of you.” I said as I kneeled down again and reached out tentatively towards the puddle.

My clawed hand was barely a centimeter away from the puddle. I softly grazed the puddle’s surface with a claw and was beginning to slowly withdraw my hand until…

Another hand, blue with melting scales, erupted out of the puddle to violently grab my wrist!

……

“Gahhh!” I barked softly as I gasped for breath and opened my eyes.

Everything was murky and dark at first but things slowly started coming into focus. A mahogany wooden ceiling with baroque carvings, a small crystal chandelier bolted into the wood, dim morning light filtering through a round porthole window, my back laid against a soft bed with linen sheets… was I in a bedroom? My spine popped as I sat myself up with a grunt. Every muscle was weak and it felt like they were all igniting themselves on fire with every little movement.

“Damnit…that dream…damn it all.” I whispered to myself while closing my eyes and pinching the bridge of my nose with my right thumb and index finger. I must’ve jumped myself awake with a fright when Katy grabbed my wrist. Whatever hidden hints I may have missed before will have to be discovered whenever I have the vision again. If it could ever happen again.

When I opened my eyes I released my nose and flexed my muscles around to test the level of damage done to them. Most were slow to move, inflamed in some areas, but all-around just very, very weak. I noticed that my right arm and hand were the hardest to move out of all of my appendages and discovered that they, besides my fingers, were covered in thin wraps of white gauze. It was easy to figure out why they were wrapped in the gauze when I remembered the blue streaks of lighting that had struck me down on the deck of The Extravagant.

And then I was clinically dead for over a minute… That happened.

‘Wait a minute, lightning?’ I thought as I raised my left, less burnt, hand. ‘I was struck by lightning, but I also created lightning as well. I…I created LIGHTNING!’

My mind was flooded with memories of the events after the lighting strike. My heart was failing, my consciousness was slowly fading into darkness, my rage acting as the only fire keeping me alive. Then the mysterious entity that manifested the storm ripped Katy away from me with its harsh winds and the fires of my rage erupted into a violent chorus of righteous fury. I pushed the limits of my Force senses and had found the formless chaotic mass the entity had projected and hoped that it would be my true target instead of an illusion designed to trick me.

I took the pain the lighting had imparted within me and learned from its paralyzing, burning hot kiss. Without thought, I willed the Force to mimic the lighting’s energy out of pure instinct. Purple sparks had danced on the tips of my hand, which had been made mobile by the pools of Dark Side energy I had willed within it. My wrath had reached its peak and the sky was set ablaze with the purple light of my Sith Lightning!

‘Sith Lightning… a skill the Empire’s Wrath had never been able to perform in the game. I made that happen! Not some trace of experience from the memories of a neural implant. I learned it and created it all on my own. Not only lightning, but I also had taken my first steps into Battle Meditation. A technique that few Jedi and Sith could claim mastery over.’ I thought to myself silently proud.

My left hand was still raised in front of me and I examined it with tired but curious eyes. I wanted to reenact what I did in that storm. I wanted to create Sith Lighting again. Not true lightning of course, my current bedroom environment could make such a curious venture unfavorable. But surely a few tiny sparks would be satisfactory and safe?

I took my experience from the storm and willed to life tiny, short-lived purple sparks in-between my clawed fingers. I touched the tips of my index finger and thumb together and pulled them apart to create a steady current of lightning flowing between each finger. I widened it, intensified its voltage, and then crushed it with a pinch. After that I allowed the small sparks of electricity to dance in a chaotic performance across my fingers.

After a minute I allowed the spectacle to continue before I eventually had to finish it with a closed fist. The amount of Force energy I had been channeling had been miniuscule but it was still draining me. My body was still fatigued and I needed to conserve my energy.

I considered the room I was in with a fuzzy glance before I closed my eyes and slowly reclined back onto the bed and its comfy linen sheets. I was certain that I was in a cabin on board The Extravagant and felt reassured that I was safe at the moment. If I was safe then I needed to get more rest and have my body revitalize itself as fast as it could. My body was too tired to begin the day and I wasn’t even sure if I could stand upright for more than a couple of minutes.

I needed to find Katy. I needed to find out what happened to everyone after the events of the storm. But I need to meet that challenge when I was at least semi-awake enough to comprehend it all. Just a few hours of meditation and I’ll be strong enough to handle today’s challenges. Just a few hours, nothing more.

‘I need to meditate. Come up with a plan. I need to…rest. I will find you again Big Sis.’

I breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. I allowed the Force to flow through me and used its power to calm the body and focus the mind. However, I still couldn’t shake a feeling of discomfort. I was more comfortable sleeping in the nude but was too tired to lift myself off the bed to disrobe.

Whoever placed me in this bed couldn’t be blamed for NOT taking off my clothes of course, but I was still unpleasantly uncomfortable. I tussled and turned across the sheets blindly for a few moments and desperately tried to search for a more comfortable position. I tried to sleep on my right side but hissed as I absentmindedly remembered that my right arm was the arm that had been burnt and struck by lightning. Then I shifted onto my left side and breathed a sigh of relief as I found the new position far more comfortable.

I even found a new pillow as my arms stretched across the bed! Eyes still closed, I wrapped my right arm across the surprisingly soft feathery pillow and pulled it to my torso. The pillow was even warm to the touch! I nuzzled my faced into the feathery pillow and breathed a sigh of relief as I begun to delve into my mediations. I was now perfectly comfortable enough to start revitalizing my body.

…Then the pillow started to moan.

“Mmmphhff.”

My eyes slammed themselves wide open and saw a sea of dark brown feathers with an occasional golden highlight. The feathers were fashioned around an elegant avian head facing away from me and as my eyes continued to roam I noticed that the avian head belonged to a brown furred torso. My bandage wrapped right arm was wrapped tightly around that very torso.

‘Why is there a griffon in my bed? Also, why does this griffon look so similar to Falca? Well that’s because the griffon is Falca you idiot!!!’ My blinding exhaustion was replaced with complete alert awareness and it took everything I had to not move a single muscle. Fear and surprise were great motivators for waking someone up.

‘Good god, why is she in here with me!? Did I wake her up?’ Her eyes were still closed and she shifted around a little bit underneath my arm, but she didn’t show any signs that she was fully awake. She sighed through her beak a couple times and I had to move my eyes downwards when I felt her tail slap against my thigh underneath the covers. She was missing the coffee brown jacket she wore for the trip but was still clad in nylon hosiery and had the thin black bandana tied above her brow. ‘Okay, she’s still asleep, thank goodness for that small mercy. Now I can panic silently in my head for a moment…’

‘…ahem…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!’

‘What the fuck is she doing here? Okay, I just need to stay calm and…what the hell am I saying? How can I stay calm when anyone could walk into the room right now and would see that I was practically spooning a princess? Also, who knows how many griffon social taboos I was currently breaking right now? What if Falca wakes up and she-’

My thoughts were halted when Falca shifted around in my arm again and shifted the back of her head against my face. I couldn’t help but get a face full of small feathers and it took everything I had to remain calm and not express my panic vocally. I slowly inched my head away as steadily as I could but couldn’t help but get a whiff of Falca’s scent. It was a gentle but sensual musk that curiously reminded me of the sea. Traces of mint, grapes, and nameless flowers with a dominating seawater presence.

‘Falca has great taste in perfumes. Gaaahhh…stop it! I need to think of a way to get out of this.’ I glanced around the room and found the door leading out of the cabin. ‘I just need to slowly get out of the bed and tip-toe out the door. I can meditate elsewhere and revitalize my body in the hallway or something. Pleassseee let griffons be heavy sleepers.’

I slowly began to lift my arm off the slumbering griffon princess, but all my plans were brought to a halt when Falca groaned and lazily reached for my arm to hug it to her torso. The palm of my hand now pressed firmly to her feathered chest with my elbow prodding her soft underbelly. I tried to steady my breathing and gently reached over Falca with my other hand to pry her talons off my arm. Before I could even begin to lift the first talon, Falca growled like an annoyed lioness and tightened her grip on my arm.

“Eeep!”

I yelped as Falca’s talons dug into my arm and I immediately slapped my mouth with my other hand as Falca began to stir from the sound. She groaned and stretched her hind legs then rotated her head around to shake off any stiffness. Her eyes opened to reveal golden irises and she yawned as she smacked her tongue against her upper beak. She then looked down to notice the bandage wrapped crimson arm she had locked in a death grip. She slowly released my arm, then had her eyes travel up the arm to stare at the torso it was attached to. Then I could only wait in horror as she spun her body around to face me and looked into my eyes with a dumbfounded expression.

We stared at each other awkwardly for what felt like an eternity until Falca thankfully broke the silence first.

“Ummm…Jack? Why are we in bed together?”

“Uhhhhh…”

‘SAY SOMETHING IDIOT!’

“I-I-I swear I only woke up and found each other like this. You were asleep… you grabbed my arm and uh… I’m so sorry!!!”

Falca looked at me weirdly then laughed amusingly.

“Jack it’s okay. Breathe!”

I nodded quickly and tried to calm myself down. Falca gave my chest a pat consolingly then turned her gaze across the room as if she was searching for something. Her gaze stopped at a nightstand next to her side of the bed and she reached for a note that I hadn’t noticed before now. She reached for it and brought it close to me so we could both read it together. The note’s handwriting was transcribed in a beautifully intricate cursive font and was admittedly hard to read at a first glance.

Dear Jack and my most beloved sister Falca:

You two are heroes worthy of a ballad. You saved yourselves and everyone aboard this ship. All except…well… rest assured Jack that while you two have been bedridden we have begun a search for your darling little Katy and will not set sail for home till we have found her. I swear to exile myself to the sea if we can’t return her to you without a single misplaced scale.

Jack, after my little brother informed me of your ‘electrifying performance’ the other night, your golem HK-55 carried my exhausted sister from the skies after saving her from a most fatal plummet to the sea. Your golem then informed me that you were to be protected at all costs while he returns to your ship to assess its current damages. He was quite vivid in his description of what would happen to me should he find you any more damaged upon his return.

To quote, “Statement: Feathered meatbag, I will burn you, twist you, and lastly will break your fragile organic wings beyond any hope of repair should I find a single missing hair follicle on my master’s head.”

Then when I named him as a golem, he educated me on proper torture techniques when handling a certain avian species he called Rishii for 5 minutes. I must say, your gol-, droid, is quite a charming little machine if I do say so myself.

Hyde and I have seen to both your injuries as best as we could, but ultimately we found that all you need is rest. Bountiful amounts of rest. Hyde originally separated you two into two separate cabins but I found the beds too… inadequate in keeping you both warm. I then came across a most brilliant idea! Why not have them share each other’s body heat!

Like two comrades in arms in the midst of a grueling campaign. Both cold, tired, and drained after days of marching and fighting, only to comfort each other by sharing a nest to stave off Princess Luna’s brutally cold nights.

Also, no Falca, I did not share with Hyde my most brilliant idea. Our brother would be too skittish to even consider it! So I took the liberty of enacting my idea by myself. You can thank me later. A polite gesture of gratitude will suffice.

Nonetheless, join us on the top deck whenever you two are ready. We will notify you of our progress in the search.

Sincerely,

Prince Thistle of the Shattered Isles

P.S. - Your energy sword is in the first drawer of the nightstand.

After reading the letter I glanced over at Falca and was surprised by her relatively neutral expression.

“I’m gonna kill him,” she deadpanned. “I don’t care if he’s my brother, I’m going to kill him and laugh during every moment of the process.”

Falca then sighed heavily as she crushed the note between her talons and absentmindedly tossed it over the side of the bed. She softly mumbled something to herself then rolled her neck around her pillow until I heard a soft ‘pop’ and she sighed pleasurably at the sound. She then looked to me and laughed as she issued an apology.

“I’m so sorry Jack. My brother thinks he’s being cute by putting us in this awkward little position. I assure you that I will find some way to make him pay for it.

“I hope so, I don’t think his “brilliant idea” is cute at all,” I said before I heaved a big sigh and began to lift myself off the bed. “I should find another cabin and leave you to rest in peace.”

I was at the edge of the bed and ready to stand up until Falca spoke up again abruptly.

“Oh…uhhmmm… You don’t have to leave Jack. I don’t mind the extra company and you are very warm.” Falca then cringed at her choice of words and I couldn’t help the heat slowly spreading through my cheeks. “What I mean to say is… you don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. I don’t mind if you stay.”

I could only stare blankly into space and hoped that I didn’t look as befuddled as I actually felt. ‘She doesn’t mind if I stay? Is she…noooooo…but if… is she giving me a hint or something?”

I looked away from Falca and rested my elbows on my knees.

“Are you sure?” I asked

“Of course… I mean, there is a lot to talk about and it might as well be in the comfort of a warm bed.” She answered nonchalantly, making me glad that I turned my head away so she wouldn’t have to see my drastic change in facial expressions.

‘Why did she have to say it like that!? It made it sound like we’re some married couple setting up their plans for the rest of the day! Okay just remain calm… be a man and just… tell her what? Yes, griffon lady who has practically been my best friend, I would love to lay in bed with you and talk about the madness that is our lives. Or, no griffon lady, I find this way too uncomfortable and would rather forget about all this awkwardness in a lonely dark room far away from this cabin. But then I would feel even MORE uncomfortable if I felt like I was insulting her in some way by denying her invitation. Am I just reading too much into this? GAAAHHHH… I’m taking too long to respond!’

“Uhh, okay, I’ll stay with you Falca,” I said finally, but then instantly regretting it.

‘Damnit this feels like the intro to a horrible porno film. Guy wakes up in bed with a foreign princess, princess then asks the guy not to leave her alone. Then the princess… STOP, STOP IT BRAIN! Don’t you dare go there.’

I settled back into the bed and tried to keep my focus on the ceiling. That focus was instantly lost when Falca nestled herself close to my side and the combination of heat from both our bodies created an instant, relaxing warmth. We’ve hugged each other in the past but this just felt weird and… kinda soothing actually.

“So, I take it from Thistle’s note that Katy is missing. Something must’ve happened then. Jack I-I’m so sorry.” Falca said somberly as she briefly nuzzled her beak into my bicep. Her apology immediately sobered me up and any feeling of awkwardness I felt before had immediately evaporated.

“It wasn’t your fault Falca. Everything had happened so fast, we-… Vigilant’s barrier broke then Katy tried to keep everyone safe and I couldn’t react fast enough to the lightning. I-I got hurt and then… EVERYTHING just went to shit!” I sighed to myself and paused as a rush of anger and guilt overwhelmed me.

“Let me start first Jack. I’ll tell you what happened from my perspective of the storm and then you’ll tell me yours. It’ll give you a little time to collect yourself. Does that sound all right?”

“That sounds like a wonderful plan,” I answered with another sigh.

She told me everything that happened from her perspective when she left the ship to combat the storm. She told me about how exhausted she felt as she combated the storm and then she explained to me this strange power that came over her all of a sudden just as she felt like she was about to collapse from exhaustion. I knew all too well what and where this power came from but I decided to hold off my clarification until she had finished her story. Telling someone that they were Force-sensitive was not something I wished to rush.

After Falca finished describing her sudden rush of power she then went on to describe a curious sensation that overcame her all of a sudden as she was using her newfound powers to combat the storm. She described how her heart felt like it had been turned into liquid magma all of a sudden and how the power left her only to return after she desperately prayed and searched within herself. Of course, the coincidence that her sudden heart problems happened just as my own heart was having problems of its own was not lost on me. This could have been an unintended consequence of using Battle Mediation to assist Falca but that would be extraordinary if that was the case.

I’ve never read or seen Battle Mediation practitioners triggering this type of reaction in Star War’s expanded universe before but this could be a special case. Or maybe the Force was working through Falca and me in a way I’ve yet to consider.

After Falca’s power had returned to her she then went on to describe her confrontation with the mysterious entity that caused the devastating storm.

“It was like the entity was actually made out of the clouds themselves. It was smoky, blue, and the head was like a storm cloud given life and a pair of eyes. Then it started to form lips of some sort and literally spat lighting at me! If I hadn’t somehow created that shield with my power in time I’m sure I would’ve been fried to a crisp.” Falca shuddered as she considered the thought. “Then after that… suddenly there was this purple flash of light. I couldn’t see what had happened underneath my wings but when I unfolded them I saw the entity roaring in pain and it looked like it was desperately trying to keep itself together. It eventually gave up and I saw it fly into the upper atmosphere.”

“Do you think it’s dead?” I asked more than a little worried.

“Maybe, if an enormous sentient cloud can actually die. I hope it’s dead, it hurt my brother and…” Falca paused to stare at my bandage wrapped right arm. “It hurt you too.”

“I’ll be fine Falca. My arm can be healed through the Force and if the Fury has survived then I have plenty of medical equipment to help me as well.”

“Good, does it hurt at all?”

“Not really,” I answered as I inspected the arm. “Honestly it just feels a little numb and slow to move.”

“That’s a relief, I’ve heard plenty of stories of griffon weather teams who’ve actually been struck by uncontrollable lightning strikes and none of them are pleasant. Some griffons are burned to the core of their skin and have to shave off their fur and feathers to obtain new skin grafts. I’ve even seen reports where griffons have had their whole appendages split open and even their hearts suddenly stop functioning.”

“Yeah… about that.” It was my turn to tell my side of the story.

……

“So that purple flash of light was you? That was your lightning?” Falca asked after I finished my account of events.

“Yep, take a look.” I raised my left arm with my palm facing away from us as I willed to life purple sparks of Sith Lighting between my fingers. I couldn’t help but grin when I turned my head to the side to Falca’s awed reaction.

“Also that power giving me the strength to fight the storm? That was you too?”

“Partially, you see after I got struck by the entity’s lightning was I incapable of maintaining my Battle Meditation. When you confronted the entity you met it with your own power, not mine.”

“I-I have your powers? I have the…Force? Why? HOW?” Falca asked as she sat up on the bed bewildered. “How can I have control over a supernatural power from an alien fictional universe?”

“I honestly don’t know for certain,” I said hating the fact that I really didn’t have a concrete answer to give her. “All I know is that when I channeled the Force through you with my Battle Meditation it triggered something within you that allowed you to call upon the Force at will. Has anyone in your family history ever displayed abilities like mine before?”

“No, not at all. I mean, some have taken up arcane study like my brother Hyde but no griffon in my family, or really any griffon in general, has ever performed abilities like yours without a magical focus of some sort.”

This was all so confusing. Magic in My Little Pony had elements very similar to the Force of course but there were other elements where they differed as well. In some similarities, it could be argued that ponies like the Mane Six were like the Jedi of Star Wars. Defenders of a benign belief of friendship with entities like the Tree of Harmony acting as an avatar of peace and tranquility. Much like the Jedi who sought out balance/harmony in the Force by acting as keepers of the peace who followed the will of the Light. There were even people like the dark magic wielding King Sombra from season 3 who was practically Sith-like in his ploy for power and domination.

But there were clear differences as well. There was yet an episode I can remember where a magic wielder could foresee events as fast as a blaster bolt deflecting Jedi or Sith. Also, ponies like Twilight Sparkle have shown that they are not especially attuned to Harmony’s will like the Jedi were to the Light Side of the Force. Where some Jedi like the famed Master Yoda could meditate and seek guidance from the Force like it was some sort of omnipresent god, ponies like Twilight would have to seek out disharmony or have it come to them in Ponyville in order to fight it.

‘Although if you consider the cuite map after season 4…”

“Jack what do I do with this? Is it possible for a griffon like me to use the Force as you do? Or was it all just a fluke?”

I seriously considered my answer before I spoke.

“It most certainly was no fluke Falca. The Force in a lot of ways is similar to your magic here on your world. There are entities that suggest that magic here may have a will, and there are multiple ways different races have manipulated its currents as well. Like the various pony tribes and their different connections to magic, there are many kinds of Force powers but not all of these powers were available to a single person, race, or faction like the Sith and Jedi. There were some isolated clans of unique Force users who could easily bend all the natural elements to their will and some alien species’ had especially unique connections to the Force that allowed them to manipulate space for instantaneous teleportation.

“So if we consider that the people of this world are just another unique sect of Force users,” I continued. “It’s possible that you may be able to imitate my powers. But to discover the reasons for this possibility we will require research and study. My Battle Mediation may have awakened your Force Sensitive capabilities but you’ve had to have been born with these powers to begin with. Simply channeling the Force through a person cannot give that person a direct connection to the Force.”

Falca raised her talons and looked down at her palms in deep thought. She furrowed her brow and squeezed her talons together as if she were testing them.

“So I may not be the only griffon capable of using the Force,” She said slowly.

“Considering what happed to you, I would not discount the possibility.” I agreed with a nod.

“Who else do think could use this power?”

“Well… if we consider genetics, the rest of your family are possible prime candidates. You’ve said before that your bloodline has had significant connections to magic and the presences your father and siblings present have always seemed stronger to my senses compared to other griffons.”

Falca looked to me then nodded before she returned to looking at her talons again. She was still deep in thought about something and it kindled my curiosity. I reached out with my empathic Force senses and discovered that beneath her thoughts and her projected calm, curious demeanor, there were small traces of fear. Fear of the power she now wielded and whether or not she could actually use it and control it properly. I immediately felt the desire to reassure her.

I reached out to take her talons into my own hands.

“Falca you won’t have to learn these powers alone. If you’ll have me, I will gladly teach you all that I know. I’m still learning if I’m being honest but it would make me happy if we could learn about our powers over the Force together.”

Falca stared at me amazed for a second then I felt those small traces of fear I felt before being replaced with newfound confidence and reassurance.

“I would like that very much, Jack. I would be honored to have you as a teacher.” Falca paused to look down at our hands and talons before she looked back up at me again with a smile. “Can you show me how to use a little bit of the Force’s power now? I’d like to feel that strength again. It felt really good.”

“Sure I don’t see why not. Let’s start with something simple first.” I broke away from Falca and raised myself up to lean my back against the bed’s headboard before I looked around the cabin to search for ideas until my gaze settled on the chandelier on the ceiling. “A little telekinesis seems like a good place to start. Why don’t you give that chandelier a small push and force it to swing.”

“Okay, where do I being?” Falca raised her right talons towards the chandelier and squinted in concentration.

“From what you’ve told me about your confrontation in the storm you seemed to have already tapped into using the Force to enhance your natural senses and physical strength. It also sounds like you used an overpowered but simple Force Repulse to scatter the storm and you used a Force Shield to fight off the entity’s lightning. The Force Shield doesn’t really surprise me because in the heat of the battle your natural instinct to protect yourself would’ve compelled the Force to form a simple shield around your wings.”

“Okay but…Jack, where do I begin? How do I tap into the Force and push the chandelier?”

“Oh sorry, I’m rambling. Not really used to teaching. Anyway, just take a deep breath.” I paused so Falca could carry out my order. “And focus on remembering how the Force felt inside yourself as you battled the storm. Hold on to that experience and when you feel the Force again within the core of your very being let it flow through your body like a current of water.”

Falca’s eyes were still focused on the chandelier but they were distant and blank. As she was focused on her task I reached out with my senses and monitored how the Force flowed within her. The strong but natural currents that flowed through her were normal at first but those currents were beginning to change and shift as if under Falca’s command.

“I-I think I feel it. It feels like it- wait! It’s slipping away!” Falca’s grip over the Force was indeed slipping and the more she thought about bringing it under her control the more she fumbled.

“Don’t think about it at first. Search your feelings, keep hold of the memories, and let instinct be your guide.” Falca took my words and successfully put them into effect. Instead of directly applying her conscious will over the Force she allowed the Force to fill her being and simply enjoyed the feeling of power that came with it.

“The first few times I used the Force, it came to me out of unconscious instinct rather than through direct will. I was jogging through the forests of the Heartland Isle and I was trying to conserve energy to save it for any obstacle that I may come across. I didn’t know it at the time but the Force was actively enhancing my body and helped me manage my physical energy consumption. Then when I came across my first physical obstacle, a fallen tree trunk, I jumped over it with my first Force Jump and reached a height taller than any of the other trees.”

“It was all instinct, just like when you tried to defend yourself with a Force Shield when the entity tried to strike at you with lighting,” I finished.

Falca nodded her head in understanding and kept her eyes focused on the chandelier.

‘Very good.’

“Now don’t think about pushing the chandelier as if you have a long-reaching invisible hand. Push it as if it were right in front of you.”

Falca did as I asked and extended her talons outwards in a push. The Force coalesced invisibly between her talons, its energy thriving through her limbs. From my perspective, she looked like she had done everything right.

But nothing happened.

The chandelier remained perfectly still. Nothing, not even the small little crystal chains lining it surface showed any indication that Falca had compelled it to move. The Force simply remained coalesced within Falca’s talons.

“Did I do something wrong?” Falca asked as she looked up at me.

“I’m not sure, you did everything as I would have done it,” I answered as I rubbed the bone spurs on my chin in thought.

‘What are we missing here? She’s willed the Force instinctively into her talons but it’s not projecting itself from her.’

Falca hummed and continued to try and push the chandelier telekinetically again. Sadly to no success.

‘Do I need to channel the Force through her again with Battle Meditation? No that wouldn’t make any sense since she channeled the Force just fine when I was struck out of commission.’

Falca waved her talons left and right and tried a different variety of talon gestures but none had any more effect than the last. After a while, her various gestures were now starting to appear comical. I could feel her slowly becoming frustrated and I honestly couldn’t blame her.

‘The power is there but it is refusing to leave her talons. Perhaps her talons are not the proper limb for her to project her will over the Force. Her wings perhaps?’

Falca continued to grow more frustrated with each failed attempt. She huffed and struck the mattress with closed talons before she returned to her attempts at telekinesis. Still succeeding at nothing but pushing the air between her talons.

‘Would the wings work? Technically a Force Sensitive doesn’t need physical gestures from their limbs to project their will over the Force but it does help give focus to what they want to do.’

Falca’s frustration was now shifting into outright anger. Her feathers were now starting to bristle and she glared at the chandelier as if it had insulted her.

‘The wings are however a heavy component to what makes a griffon in the MLP universe. Like pegasi magic, I suspected that their natural ability to control the weather is heavily connected to their wings. Falca did say she covered herself with her wings when the mysterious entity tried to strike her with lighting.’

I was about to suggest to Falca that she use her wings until she growled like a lioness and thrusted her talons out into the air violently. The Force finally left her talons and, before I could even react, the chandelier smacked itself loudly into the ceiling!

Falca and I jumped in surprise as shattered crystal shards rained onto the wooden floor and at the foot of the bed. The chandelier continued to swing violently around its column chain and we could only watch as it eventually snapped and joined the crystal shards on the floor. Falca and I slowly turned to each other with wide eyes.

“I think I overdid my push a little bit,” Falca said as she gave a hesitant laugh.

“Indeed, but… I think we found the missing component to using your Force abilities.”

“What is it? I only got a little frustrated. Is anger all that I need?” Falca looked at me confused.

“Not just anger…” I said softly. It was more than just pure anger. When Falca left The Extravagant to fight the storm she left with a drive to protect those close to her. Emotions had burned within her and they were amplified when I had used Battle Mediation to tap into her core with Force energy. Then when she was cut off and at her most desperate, the pinnacle of emotional duress, the Force came to her call and she used its strength to continue her course. I may have awakened the Force within her but it was her strong emotions that brought its power under her will.

“Passion,” I said simply. “It is your passion that gives you power.”

Author's Note

The Sith Lord now gains an apprentice.

I hope I'm not drawling this semi-vacation arc too long. I hope to have it wrapped up after about 3 more chapters.